China's role in joint drill with Iran and Russia limited to anti-piracy forces, analysts say
- Beijing wants to avoid being drawn into conflicts in the Middle East, a region that is crucial to the country’s oil supplies
Instead of sending a regular naval mission to take part in the trilateral joint exercise, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) might send only its routine anti-piracy fleet, which has been deployed to Somali waters to protect commercial vessels, the analysts said.
Last week, General Ghadir Nezami Pour, head of international affairs and defence diplomacy of Iran’s General Staff of the Armed Forces, was quoted by the semi-official Iran Press news agency as saying that China, Russia and Iran were planning a joint naval drill in the Sea of Oman and northern Indian Ocean “soon”.
“The exercises have different goals, including the exchange of tactical and military experiences, and sometimes they seek political goals which show a kind of convergence between participants,” he was quoted as saying.
On Monday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang sidestepped questions about the exercise, saying only that the Chinese military had maintained “regular cooperation” with its foreign counterparts.