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China and the states of Southeast Asia launched their first joint maritime exercises on Monday to ease regional tensions over rival claims in the South China Sea.
Eight warships left the port of Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province, in southern China, and 1,200 soldiers took part in the event, according to the Chinese public TV channel CCTV.
Beijing's extensive claims on the South China Sea have long been a source of friction with rival plaintiffs in Southeast Asia, as well as Washington, which was traditionally the dominant naval power in the region.
The Chinese Navies and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have decided to organize these one-week maneuvers as part of efforts to promote stability and appease the tensions on the disputed sea.
Singapore, which is co-hosting the event, Brunei, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines have deployed vessels to participate in the exercise, according to the Chinese Ministry of Defense.
Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Myanmar sent observers, according to CCTV.
The drills should include a joint search and rescue operation and communication exercises during training, the Chinese Ministry of Defense said in a statement released on Sunday.
The joint naval exercises take place after the preparatory table exercises held in Singapore in August between ASEAN and China.
In a speech at the Opening Ceremony on Monday, Rear Admiral Lew Chuen Hong, Chief of the Singapore Navy, highlighted the security benefits and economic growth through regional collaboration. reported the Strait Times.
"To allow the stable and collective use of a shared space, a set of common rules and understanding is very important," he said.
The Chinese Ministry of Defense said on Sunday that the exercises would "enhance mutual trust" and "help to promote China-ASEAN military relations, strengthen cooperation on maritime security and strengthen the security of the country." common response capacity to security threats ".
US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, who was attending an ASEAN ministerial meeting at which the exercise was announced Friday, said he did not think the exercises were " contrary to American interests.
The United States has raised concerns over China's installation of military installations in artificially constructed islands in the South China Sea and has regularly conducted "freedom of navigation" operations to challenge Beijing's land claims.
A Thai navy ship in the port of Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province, in southern China, from where eight ships have sailed for joint maritime exercises between China and the countries of China. ASEAN.
