Seventy military officers from 42 countries gathered Thursday in Beijing to celebrate the conclusion of their training courses offered by China's top military university.

They were each conferred a certificate of graduation from the 2004 International Symposium Course and the Training Course for the Young African Military Officers, both held by the National Defense University (NDU) of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA).

"China's top military university has made another new achievement in offering training courses for foreign military officers and academic exchanges with world armies," said NDU President Pei Huailiang at the ceremony.

Since 1999, the NDU has held six international symposium courses. The 2004 session, lasting a month and a half, covered China studies, Asian-Pacific security, global security and military revolution.

The two-week Training Course for the Young African Military Officers was the second of its kind hosted by China, with the first having been organized by China's Defense Ministry in the first half of the year.

Hans-Klaus Haacke, a German military officer, said on behalf of all the officers that although they were representatives of continents that have different cultures and religions, the Chinese staff assisted them quite a bit by treating everybody the same.

"There can be no doubt that all of us will return to our countries more knowledgeable, with a better understanding of China and its military and perhaps even with greater wisdom," he said.

According to Pei, the NDU's training courses have become a platform for military officers from China and other countries to carry out academic exchanges and consolidate friendship.

"The courses have not only deepened officers' understanding to China's history and culture, reform and opening-up, and policy of national defense, but also enhanced the mutual understanding and trust between the Chinese army and world armies," he said.