Login
iscover
The People’s Republic of China and the Kingdom of Thailand have begun their annual Blue Strike 2023 joint naval training.
To continue reading the rest of this article, please log in.
Create free account to get unlimited news articles and more!
More than 400 officers and soldiers from China and Thailand, the Chinese Ambassador to Thailand Han Zhiqiang, and Royal Thai Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Chatchai Sriworakhan attended the opening ceremony at Sattahip Naval Base in Thailand on 3 September.
This is the fifth joint training of Blue Strike since its inception in 2010.
During Blue Strike 2023, personnel from both countries will undertake sniping tactics, jungle survival, maritime search and rescue, urban warfare, chemical defence, light weapons shooting, armoured tactics, joint anti-submarine operations, and cross-deck helicopter landing to improve coordination, enhance military cooperation and joint efforts to address regional security threats.
The Chinese naval task force includes the Type 71 “Simingshan” amphibious dock landing ship, guided-missile frigate “Anyang”, supply ship “Chaohu”, a Marine Corps element, and a shipboard helicopter element.
The PRC Foreign Ministry has also announced Indo-Pacific plans for the naval training ship Qi Jiguang to visit Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Fiji during midshipmen ocean-going training mission this month and continuing into late October.
The training ship program is hoped to strengthen maritime practical cooperation, mutual trust with the countries visited, improve the operational adaptability and capability of Chinese naval officer cadets, and help build the maritime community.
