wow first ever bilat drill? taiwan watching closely whether
china will offer training grounds to sg again, to make sg dump
taiwan
Singapore and China united on terror risk
By Peng Kuang (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-06-25 08:24
GUILIN: China and Singapore launched their
first bilateral military drill on Wednesday.
Code-named Cooperation 2009, the counter-terrorism training
exercise in Guilin, the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, involved
the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and Singapore Armed Forces (SAF)
and focused on anti-nuclear, biological and chemical threats. Each
army sent 61 troops to the nine-day training session.
“Countries are holding joint military drills as the world is
faced with the threat of terrorism,” said Zhang Xuegang, a
Southeast Asian studies expert at China Institutes of Contemporary
International Relations.
“During the training exercise, soldiers from both sides had
close exchanges and observed each other’s equipment and skills in
fighting against ‘terrorists’. The Singaporean soldiers’
professionalism and capabilities have impressed me a lot,” said
Senior Colonel Luo Mingcan, the Chinese chief director of the
exercise.
Luo was known for his service in security operations during the
Beijing Olympic Games last summer when the PLA deployed 179,000 personnel from its army, navy and
air force around and near the capital.
The drill set the stage for future cooperation, said Brigadier
General Chan Chun Sing, Chief of Staff – Joint Staff, SAF.
“This cooperation is a brand new platform, giving our soldiers
opportunities for better understanding of their counterparts to
contribute toward a better tomorrow,” he said.
The risk of non-traditional security treats makes such
cooperation more important, said Su Hao, director of China Foreign
Affairs University’s Center for Asia-Pacific Studies.