China, neighbors hold joint drills
Test emergency plans amid territorial dispute
SINGAPORE— Chinese and Southeast Asian naval forces staged their first computer-simulated drills so they can jointly respond to emergencies and build trust amid the long-seething disputes in the South China Sea.
The two-day exercises that ended Friday involved more than 40 sailors from China and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations. They worked on search and rescue scenarios following a mock ship collision.
Singapore’s navy hosted the drills at a training center in Changi naval base, where officers coordinated their force deployments and helicopter landings on navy ships. They monitored developments on three giant screens.
It was a successful prelude to actual maneuvers at sea that are planned for October in China, said Col. Lim Yu Chuan of the Singapore navy.
Organizers did not directly link the exercises to the territorial disputes, which escalated after China turned seven disputed reefs into man-made islands, including three with runways. They now resemble bases with buildings and weapons.
China and ASEAN have held talks for years to try to ease tensions and prevent the disputes from degenerating into open conflicts. During the annual meeting of their foreign ministers in Singapore on Thursday, an agreement was announced on an initial draft of a “code of conduct,” a set of rules to discourage aggression and reduce chances of accidental clashes and miscalculations.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called the negotiating draft “the biggest highlight” of the meeting. “We believe that without any disturbances from the outside, COC (code of conduct) consultations will accelerate,” Wang said.
China has accused the United States of meddling into an Asian dispute. The U.S. military has deployed its aircraft carriers, warships and fighter jets to patrol the disputed waters, including areas close to China’s artificial islands, in maneuvers it says aim to promote freedom of navigation and overflight in the strategic waterway.
Aside from China and Taiwan, ASEAN members Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam have overlapping claims in the disputed region.