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Naval forces from China and 10 ASEAN countries begin their first joint maritime exercise in Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province on October 22, 2018. [Photo/VCG]
Marines from China and 10 ASEAN countries began their first joint maritime exercise on Monday in Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province. The exercise will include the application of the Code for unplanned encounters at sea, as well as search and rescue operations and communication exercises.
Eight vessels, three helicopters, five observers and more than 1,200 people from China and all ASEAN countries will participate in shore and exercise exchanges in the waters east of Zhanjiang from 22nd to 22nd January. October 28th.
The ASEAN-China-2018 Maritime Exercise is aimed primarily at advancing defense cooperation and maritime security between China and ASEAN, as well as the application of the Code for unplanned meetings in China. sea, said Zhu Jianda, Chinese commander of the land-based Joint Command. for exercise.
"It is indeed important that we all gather here for the opening ceremony of this milestone for ASEAN and China," said Lew Chuen Hong, chief of the Singapore Navy.
Last week, at the meeting of ASEAN Defense Ministers, ministers reaffirmed that this was an important measure of confidence, did it not? he declares.
This exercise marks the first time that ASEAN as a whole is organizing a military exercise with only one country and the first time that China is organizing a maritime exercise with ASEAN, said Yuan Yubai, commander of the Southern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army.
It is about to become a dominant platform to deepen mutual understanding and exchanges, to establish a new brand for security cooperation between China and ASEAN and to cross a new step in regional security and create a community of common destiny for China and its neighbors in ASEAN.
Participating ships include the Guangzhou Guided Missile Destroyer, the Huangshan Guided Missile Frigate and the Junshanhu Supply Ship from China; the frigates Stalwart (Singapore), Taksin (Thailand), Tran Hung Dao (Vietnam); patrol vessel Daruttaqwa (Brunei); and BRP Dagupan City Logistics Support Ship (Philippines).
The six countries will take turns to take over the exercise. Observers come from Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Myanmar.
The exercise had been proposed by China at an informal meeting of Defense Ministers of China and ASEAN in 2015. In preparation, a joint table exercise was held in Singapore in August.
A planning meeting for the exercise was held Monday with tug of war, basketball games and exchange of theories about diving.
