The United States recently sent a delegation — the first of its kind since the COVID-19 pandemic — to China to search for the remains of US soldiers who went missing in China during World War II, China's Ministry of National Defense announced on Thursday.

Ministry spokesman Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang told a news conference that a delegation from the US Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency visited the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region and Hunan province to carry out a site survey in search of the remains of the soldiers.

The delegation was assisted by personnel from several Chinese government bodies, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Central Military Commission's Office for International Military Cooperation and the military's archives management departments, he said.

"This is the first site survey conducted by the two sides since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic," Zhang said.

"Over the years, committed to the humanitarian spirit, China has provided assistance to the US military to search for the remains of its missing personnel in China and has made practical progress."