China will host 6-nation ‘Aman Youyi’ army drills to ‘deepen trust’ with Southeast Asia as disputes roil South China Sea

First-timers Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos to join Malaysia and Thailand for the anti-terror drills when China hosts them later this month, Beijing says

Vietnam and Malaysia contest some of China’s claims in the South China Sea, where its tensions have spiked with another rival claimant, the Philippines

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Chinese and Malaysian troops take part in jungle survival drills during the 2018 Aman Youyi exercise, at Port Dickson, Malaysia. Photo: Handout

Published: 2:49pm, 12 Nov 2023Updated: 5:17pm, 12 Nov 2023

China will hold anti-terrorism exercises with five Southeast Asian neighbours in Chinese waters later this month, the country’s defence ministry said.

The joint drills come as China seeks to “deepen military mutual trust” at a time of heightened tensions over territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

The militaries of Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam will take part in the “Aman Youyi 2023” drills, with China hosting the multinational exercise for the first time since they started in 2014.

The drills, focusing on both land and marine counterterrorism and security operations, will be held in Zhanjiang, a port city in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong, the defence ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

This is the first time for Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos to join the exercises.

Both Vietnam and Malaysia contest some of Beijing’s territorial claims in the South China Sea, where its tensions have spiked lately with another rival claimant, the Philippines.

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