China, Singapore conclude joint maritime exercise

SANYA, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- China and Singapore concluded a five-day joint maritime exercise on Wednesday after completing all scheduled drills, as the two countries seek to deepen practical cooperation and strengthen their ability to safeguard regional peace and stability. The exercise, the fifth of its kind between the two navies, was held in the waters and airspace around the city of Zhanjiang, south China's Guangdong Province. It consisted of two phases, covering in-port exchanges and at-sea drills. During the in-port phase, the two sides held high-level meetings and planning discussions, and organized ship visits and other activities. In the maritime phase, participating forces conducted eight drills, including communications exercises, formation maneuvers and aerial photography, at-sea replenishment, and joint search-and-rescue operations. The Chinese navy said regular joint exercises had further strengthened mutual trust and promoted practical cooperation between the two countries' navies, while enhancing their ability to jointly contribute to peace and stability in the region. In an earlier interview, Chinese military expert Zhang Junshe said the joint search-and-rescue drills hold significant practical value, given the heavy maritime traffic and complex weather and sea conditions in the South China Sea. He also noted that live-fire exercises and replenishment-at-sea help enhance the two navies' combat capabilities. China and Singapore held their first bilateral maritime exercise in 2015. Such joint exercises have become a regular feature of military exchanges between the two countries in recent years. In May 2025, the Chinese Navy dispatched a guided-missile frigate and a mine countermeasure vessel to Singapore for a joint exercise. In addition to regular joint maritime exercises with Singapore, China also carries out routine joint drills and training with neighboring countries, including Thailand and Cambodia.