By Guo Yuandan

郭媛丹

China and five ASEAN countries will hold the Peace and Friendship-2023 joint exercise, according to the PLA Southern Theater Command. Experts on international issues pointed out that the Peace and Friendship series of joint drills has developed rapidly in recent years, which indicates that the security cooperation between China and ASEAN countries has continuously taken new steps. This helps all parties jointly maintain regional peace and stability and avoid falling into the trap of confrontation between camps and geopolitical games.

据解放军南部战区发布的消息，今年中国与5个东盟国家将举行“和平友谊-2023”联演。国际问题专家分析指出，“和平友谊”系列联演近年来发展迅速，表明中国与东盟国家之间的安全合作不断迈出新步伐，有利于各方共同维护地区和平稳定，避免陷入集团对抗和地缘政治博弈的陷阱。

The Peace and Friendship joint military exercise began in 2014. The opening ceremony of the Peace and Friendship-2014 joint tabletop game between the Chinese and Malaysian militaries was held in Kuala Lumpur in December 2014. In September 2015, the Chinese and Malaysian militaries conducted the first joint military exercise. The Peace and Friendship-2018 China-Malaysia-Thailand joint military exercise was held in October 2018. The Peace and Friendship-2023 to be held this year will expand again from the three countries of China, Malaysia and Thailand to China, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam.

“和平友谊”联合军演始于2014年。当年12月，“和平友谊-2014”中国和马来西亚军队联合桌面推演开始仪式在吉隆坡举行。2015年9月，中马两军首次实兵联演。2018年10月，“和平友谊-2018”中马泰联合军演举行。今年即将举行的“和平友谊-2023”再度扩员，从中马泰三国扩展为中、柬、老、马、泰、越六国。

Zhuo Hua, an expert on international issues at the School of International Relations and Diplomacy at Beijing Foreign Studies University, said that the scale of the Peace and Friendship joint exercises is enlarging, the number of participating countries is expanding, and the degree of institutionalization of the joint exercise is becoming more mature, which is positive and meaningful for the security of participating countries and regions.

北京外国语大学国际关系学院国际问题专家卓华表示，“和平友谊”系列联演演习规模在扩大，参演国家在扩容，联演机制化程度越发成熟，这对于参演国家和地区安全都具有积极和切实的意义。

Zhuo believes that the Peace and Friendship-2023 joint exercise can give full play to the role of a regional security stabilizer. On the one hand, more ASEAN countries are participating, and more and more countries agree with China's vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security, and increase coordination with China in terms of actions. Against the backdrop where some major countries outside the region are trying to win over some countries in Southeast Asia to engage in bloc confrontation, the Peace and Friendship joint exercise will effectively resist the negative impact of the "zero-sum game bloc security concept" on the security of the Asia-Pacific region, said Zhuo.

卓华认为，“和平友谊-2023”联演可以充分发挥地区安全稳定器的作用。一方面，更多的东盟国家参与进来，越来越多的国家在观念上认同中国的合作安全、共同安全、综合安全和可持续安全观，在行动上与中国加大对接协调。在当前个别域外大国试图拉拢东南亚部分国家搞集团对立的情况下，‘和平友谊’联演将有效抵制‘零和博弈集团安全观’对亚太地区安全的负面影响。

On the other hand, all parties can fully optimize the standard operating procedures and command procedures of multinational forces at the operational level in the joint exercise, which effectively improves the capability of all parties to jointly respond to security threats and is of great practical significance to maintaining the security of key navigation channels and sea areas in the Asia-Pacific region, said Zhuo.

另一方面，在联演中，各方可以在行动层面充分优化多国部队标准行动程序、指挥流程等，切实提高了各方共同应对安全威胁的能力，对维护亚太地区关键航道和海域的安全具有实际意义。

The security cooperation between China and ASEAN countries is not aimed at any third party. Instead, it has a positive impact on deepening  the relationship between the defense departments of China and ASEAN countries and the deepening of military-to-military understanding. The active development of military diplomacy will also promote the substantive improvement of relations between all parties and play a constructive role in effectively maintaining regional peace and stability.

中国与东盟国家的安全合作不针对任何第三方，对于密切中国与东盟国家防务部门关系、加深军对军之间的了解会产生积极影响。军事外交的积极开展，也会促进各方关系的实质提升，对有效维护地区和平稳定发挥建设性作用。

Editor's note: Originally published on mil.huanqiu.com, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.