ZHANJIANG, Oct. 26 (ChinaMil) -- After activities in ports and on shore, the ASEAN-China Maritime Exercise-2018 entered maritime operations stage on Oct. 25. Eight naval vessels from China and countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) set sail in batches toward the designated sea area at around 6.00 a.m. on October 25.
During this stage, the naval vessels from participating countries would carry out various drills such as formation communication, formation movement, joint search and rescue, deck landings of ship-borne helicopters and replenishment-at-sea in waters and airspace east of Zhanjiang City, south China's Guangdong Province.
The commanding post of the joint ship formation was established on the Chinese navy’s guided-missile destroyer Guangzhou (Hull 168). Liu Bin, Captain of the destroyer Guangzhou, said that participating Chinese vessels will serve as commanding ships for two drills, and ASEAN vessels will serve as commanding ships for other four drills. “It reflects the solidarity and cooperation between China and ASEAN, and also highlights the ‘joint" in this joint maritime exercise,” Liu added.
Lieutenant-Colonel (LTC) Aaron Li Junhong, Captain of Formidable-class frigate RSS Stalwart from the Singapore Navy, said that they usually exchange commanders in different training subjects during joint exercise. This exercise is no exception. In this way, participants can deepen understandings of different training subjects and it provides an opportunity for various participating troops to learn from each other.
