ISTANBUL

Defense officials from China and South Korea discussed resuming joint maritime search and rescue exercises (SAREX) after a 15-year hiatus, Yonhap News Agency reported Friday.

The officials met Thursday in Beijing for the 21st bilateral defense policy meeting, which was held after a pause of more than three years.

Both sides assessed positively the efforts to resume defense cooperation and agreed to work closely to restore strategic dialogue channels while expanding the scope of exchanges between defense authorities.

The SAREX exercises were held in 2005, 2007 and 2008, with the last drills conducted in 2011.

The meeting comes as both countries take steps to improve bilateral relations and address pending issues following summit talks between South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping in early January.