China, ASEAN begin joint naval drill

The navies of China and 10 ASEAN countries began their first joint maritime exercise in Zhanjiang, Guangdong province, on Monday. The exercise will include the application of The Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea, as well as search and rescue operations and communications exercises.

Eight ships, three helicopters, five observers and more than 1,200 personnel from China and all ASEAN countries will participate in the exchanges on shore and exercises in waters east of Zhanjiang between Oct 22 and 28.

The ASEAN-China Maritime Exercise-2018 is aimed mainly at advancing defense cooperation and maritime security between China and ASEAN, as well as the application of The Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea, said Zhu Jianda, Chinese commander of the shore-based joint command for the exercise.