Joint drill marks navy's 65th birthday

Chinese frigate Yantai docks in Qingdao, East China's Shandong province, April 20, 2014. China held a multilateral maritime exercise with seven other countries off Qingdao in Shandong province on Wednesday to mark the 65th anniversary of the establishment of the People's Liberation Army navy. [Photo/Xinhua]

Foreign frigates arrive in East China port city

Indonesian navy visits China's submarine academy

China held a multilateral maritime exercise with seven other countries off Qingdao in Shandong province on Wednesday to mark the 65th anniversary of the establishment of the People's Liberation Army navy.

It was the first time the PLA navy had organized a multilateral drill, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The drill, which focused on search and rescue work, started at 9 am and was called "Maritime Cooperation-2014".

Seven warships from Brunei, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia sailed with 12 Chinese vessels from Qingdao port.

Divided into three flotillas, the vessels conducted a range of exercises including anti-hijacking work, search and rescue drills, and small arms firing, in six hours.

In a simulated shipwreck, two sailors were dropped in the water as white smoke billowed from a Chinese vessel.

Working with the patrol ship Darulehsan from Brunei and the Pakistani frigate Shamsheer, the Chinese frigate Shenyang controlled the blazing vessel by spraying water on it.

Despite rough seas, rescuers reached the two sailors by boat and took them to the Chinese hospital ship Peace Ark, which also took part in the drill.

The drill's command vessel, the Chinese destroyer Harbin, cooperated with the Indian frigate Shivalik and Indonesian landing craft Kribanjarmasin to rescue a Chinese merchant ship in a simulated hijacking.

Delivered by fast boats, Chinese mariners got onboard the Shivalik and saved 15 crew members who had locked themselves in a cabin.

"The goal is to strengthen strategic trust and improve coordination among navies," said Shi Lei, commander of the Harbin. "Only through cooperation can we find the problem and fix it."

Shi said that as the PLA navy develops, the number of international exchanges it is involved in increases. He said that thanks to frequent cooperation, the navies involved in the drill now have mutual understanding and trust.

"It is now routine for us to work with fellow navies. We didn't have any difficulties preparing for the drill," he said.

Indonesian naval officer Hanny Chandra said it took four months to prepare for the drill.

"Having a drill with China and other countries is a great opportunity to learn," he said. "It not only increases the coordination among navies, but also improves relations between Indonesia and China."

The Chinese forces in the drill came mainly from the North Sea Fleet.

Zhang Junshe, a researcher at the Naval Military Studies Research Institute of the PLA, said the diversity of vessels and sophisticated exercises illustrated the great progress the PLA navy has made in the past 65 years.

"From a few warships to a modern navy, the PLA navy has made a long journey," Zhang said. "Now it is actively engaged in international maritime affairs and is fulfilling its responsibility."

A navy source said 16 PLA navy vessels are currently deployed around the world, including anti-pirate escort work in the Gulf of Aden and the search for the Malaysian Airlines plane.