Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun met with guests attending a Chinese New Year reception Monday evening in Beijing and exchanged New Year greetings, the Ministry of National Defense said.

About 240 people attended the reception, including defense attaches from foreign embassies in China, representatives of some international organizations in China and their spouses, according to a ministry news release.

A senior official from the Central Military Commission's Office for International Military Cooperation, speaking on behalf of the Chinese side, said the Chinese military in 2025 focused on combat readiness training to comprehensively enhance strategic capabilities to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests.

The official noted that China held a military parade in 2025 to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, saying it underscored that China will always be a force for peace, stability and progress in the world.

China's military diplomacy has adhered to head-of-state diplomacy as the strategic guide, advancing amid a changing global landscape and demonstrating the image of a responsible major country, the official said.

In the new year, China will advance national defense and military modernization with high quality, continue to deepen external exchanges and cooperation, and work to promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, the official added.