A senior Chinese military officer Tuesday pledged to step up military exchange and cooperation with the Austrian armed forces.

Ma Xiaotian, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), made the remarks when meeting with Johann Pucher, director of the Security Policy Directorate of the Defense Staff of the Austrian armed forces.

Pucher was in Beijing to attend the first defense consultation between the militaries of the two countries earlier Tuesday.

"China has a positive attitude toward developing military ties with Austria. We hope to see friendly cooperative ties between the two armed forces continue to grow," Ma said.

Ma hailed the sound growth in momentum of China-Austria military ties, noting frequent high-level exchange and cooperation.

Praising the sound development of bilateral ties over the years, Pucher said it was important for both sides to further enhance mutual understanding and cooperation.