31 October 2018
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- Why ASEAN should Hold More Maritime Drills with China and US
Why ASEAN should Hold More Maritime Drills with China and US
The first joint maritime exercise between China and the 10 Asean member states was successfully carried out last week in China off the southern city of Zhanjiang, the home of the South Sea Fleet of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy.
The exercise was co-organised by the Republic of Singapore Navy and PLA Navy, with participation from all nine other Asean member states and more than 1,000 personnel.
The agreement to conduct this exercise arose from the Asean-China defence ministers’ informal meeting held in Singapore in February. Table-top exercises between Asean and China were held in Singapore in August to prepare for the joint maritime exercise.
The aim of the joint maritime exercise was to enhance trust, confidence and friendship among the navies of the Asean member states and China. The focus of the exercise was on practical cooperation in areas such as search and rescue operations and medical evacuations.
… Robert Beckman is an associate professor at the National University of Singapore’s Faculty of Law and head of the Ocean Law and Policy Programme at the NUS Centre for International Law. He is also an adjunct senior fellow in the Maritime Security Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University.
IDSS / Online / Print
Last updated on 31/10/2018
