China sends 600 troops and rescue workers to Asean disaster drill

China is sending 600 people, including 49 from the military, to multinational disaster relief exercises in Malaysia, the first time it has taken part in such an effort.

China's contribution will include experts from the foreign and civil affairs ministry, along with local government bodies and troops from the army and paramilitary forces, the Defence Ministry said.

One of the navy's most modern amphibious dock ships and its accompanying helicopter will also play a role in the drills, it said.

Along with its booming economy and rising diplomatic clout, China has increasingly engaged in disaster relief work and multinational exercises as a means of asserting its regional leadership.

China's military and civilian agencies sent scores of personnel to help out with Nepal's deadly earthquakes last month, along with helicopters and vehicles, and it has sent crews as far as Pakistan and Haiti to aid in responding to quakes, floods and other emergencies.

Those efforts remain in the early stages, however, and the Defence Ministry said next week's drills would mark the first time China had participated in large-scale joint military and civilian disaster relief exercises overseas.