China and the ten member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will be holding a maritime field training exercise later this year with aims to advance the China-ASEAN relations amidst the growing tension in the highly-disputed South China Sea, the Chinese Ministry of Defence announced on Friday.
The joint naval drill will take place off the coast of Guangdong province of China from October 22 to 28.
Prior to this, a table-top exercise was conducted on August 2 to 3 in Singapore at RSN Singapura-Changi Naval Base, as indicated in this report.
More than 40 naval officers from the Chinese navy and those from ASEAN countries convened together to develop strategies and contingency plans to deal with maritime incidents including search and rescue operations and medical emergencies during the actual exercise.
As confirmed by Colonel Lim Yu Chuan of the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), the forum was successful in covering the crucial points of the agenda.
"We had fruitful discussions and developed plans that help to enhance understanding and confidence between our navies. We look forward to furthering practical cooperation by exercising these plans during the sea exercise later this year," the officer said, as quoted over at CNN Philippines.
Chuan served as the commanding officer of the 185th Squadron of RSN and one of the directors of the upcoming naval exercise.
Captain Liang Zhijia, the deputy chief of operations of the Naval Forces of People's Liberation Army of China, Southern Theater Command, concurred with Chuan's statement saying, "We all have common interest and should work together."
For Liang, the exercise serves more than the purpose of promoting the interoperability of the 11 Asian naval forces along the disputed waters of South China Sea.
"Such practical cooperation will help build trust so that we can work together towards safe seas for all," Capt. Liang added.
The said dispute involved the sovereign claim protests of the four ASEAN member states like Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei, with Beijing putting its stakes in the highly-contested islands such as the Scarborough Shoal and Triton Island.
Prior to the China-ASEAN joint naval drill in October, Beijing proposed to conduct a series of military exercises with its neighbors in South China Sea.
An earlier report from South China Morning Post reveals China's plans going back in 2017 wherein it opt to exclude participation from its Western counterpart, the United States.
According to Chinese defense minister Chang Wanquan, the drill embodies practical initiatives "to advance ASEAN-China relations" while building "understanding and trust" among nations.
