Singapore, China navies begin 5-day joint maritime drills
Singaporean and Chinese navies have begun a bilateral maritime exercise that is set to run till Sept 9.The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) said on Saturday (Sept 5) that the exercise, codenamed Exercise Maritime Cooperation, is being held in China's Zhanjiang.Now in its fifth edition, the exercise which started in 2015, will see the participation of Singapore's Formidable-class frigate Steadfast and the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Jiangkai II-class frigate Dali.The navies will engage in planning exercises and professional exchanges from Sept 5 to 7, before going out to sea from Sept 8 to 9 to conduct a range of bilateral training, including gunnery firings, communications and manoeuvring exercises, MINDEF said.It will also include joint search and rescue and medical evacuation drills.