SHANGHAI, January 16. /TASS/. Officials from 30 countries, including Russia, are taking part in a working group meeting of the Western Pacific Naval Symposium which opened on Tuesday in China's eastern Jiangsu Province in the city of Nanjing, the Pengpai news outlet (The Paper) reported.

The meeting was organized by the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy and brings together naval representatives from nations such as Australia, Canada, South Korea, Russia, the United States, France, Chile, and Japan. According to the report, the attendees are discussing issues related to updating agreements governing cooperation and emergency responses in the Western Pacific Ocean.

The previous Western Pacific Naval Symposium took place in Japan in November 2022. According to information previously released by the Chinese Ministry of Defense, the next one will be held in April 2024 in Qingdao, in China’s eastern Shandong Province.