Joint exercises among ASEAN states bolster region's counterterror skills

"The exercises have been the largest land counterterrorism activities in terms of scale since the founding of the EWG of counterterrorism in 2011," Lieutenant General Zhang Jian, commander of the People's Liberation Army Ground Force Southern Theater, said during the opening ceremony. "It aims to facilitate exchanges and cooperation among the ASEAN member states and dialogue countries to enhance their capability to respond to the regional terrorist threats."

ADMM-Plus is a platform for 10 members of ASEAN and its eight dialogue partners, including China and the United States, to strengthen security and defense cooperation. It has established five EWGs to facilitate cooperation in maritime security, counterterrorism, humanitarian assistance and disaster management, peacekeeping operations and military medicine.