Factiva 20210429 1733

• Ministry of Defence: India and Australia Agree to Step Up Defence Cooperation Progressively
• China, Russia concludes naval drills

• New rules of engagement for the Asia-Pacific region
• The US has invited China to join the world's largest international naval exercise ,...
• Indonesia plans naval drill in Southeast Asia
• ASEAN and partners prepare for large-scale naval exercise
• Politics: Indonesia to Host ASEAN + Naval Drill, Vietnam Yet to Confirm Participation
• Department of Defense Press Briefing with Secretary Hagel and Gen. Chang from the Pentagon
• U.S.-India Joint Statement
• India-China naval exercise off Australian coast
• 18 NEGARA IKUTI LATIHAN BERSAMA PENANGGULANGAN BENCANA
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• Indonesia hosts international military exercise in South China Sea
• Indonesia: 2016 Komodo exercise to focus on maritime peace
• Editorial: PH, US holding naval exercise near Scarborough Shoal
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• Modi's new ocean politics: Gluing security and the blue economy
• Transcript of Keynote Speech by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at Shangri-La Dialogue on May 29
• Joint PHL-US naval exercise begins in Palawan
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• Japan, Indonesia pursue military partnership at first '2+2' meeting
• ‘Malabar’ exercise should not upset peace: China
• US Navy official questions intent of China military advance in
• Power play in Indian Ocean and what it means for Asean
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• S. Korea, U.S. begin 11-day naval drill along southern coast
• Multilateral Naval Exercise Komodo Kicks Off in Indonesia
• International: Dragon Plan to Quill India
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• Events due in Moscow, Russia, CIS and Baltic countries on August 1-7, 2016
• NAVAL MOBILE CONSTRUCTION BATTALION 4 PARTICIPATES IN CARAT INDONESIA 2016
• IN BRIEF (Page 2)
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• Indian Navy to hold exercises with Indonesia, PNG and Aus
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• Thailand's Pattaya prepares for ASEAN International Fleet Review 2017
• Beijing to stage new Yellow Sea naval drill
• diplomacy - Australia seeks joint naval exercise early next year
• Vietnam, Indonesia seek to enhance defense ties
• Singapore, China discuss practical initiatives for ASEAN -China defence ties
• China explores deeper military cooperation with ASEAN , US
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• PH Navy joins Asean exercises in Thailand
• Thailand poised to host ASEAN International Fleet Review 2017
• Kyodo news summary -5-
Page 1 © 2021 Factiva, Inc. All rights reserved.

• Politics: Vietnamese Frigate Joins ASEAN Multilateral Naval Exercise
• ASEAN navies cooperate to protect marine environment
• 2017 Int'l Fleet Review in Chon Buri
• Foreign naval ships take part in int’l fleet review in Thailand
• Celebrating 50 Years of ASEAN : RSN Participates in ASEAN Multilateral Naval Exercise and
International Fleet Review
• ASEAN NAVIES HOLD FIRST MULTILATERAL EXERCISE TO CONSOLIDATE FORCES
• Navy to welcome contingent to 1st AMNEX Wednesday
• Australia ready to join Malabar naval exercise
• Politics: Vietnam Participates in Regional Naval Exercise Komodo
• India-Vietnam defense ties in spotlight with joint naval exercise
• Tensions rise in South China Sea region as China consolidates position
• India to soon start tri-lateral exercise with Singapore: PM Modi
• US trying to make friends, counter China with massive naval exercise
• Defense cooperation raised at reception
• ASEAN -China drills set outside disputed waters
• China, ASEAN hold 1st joint naval exercise at sea
• No venue yet for Asean -US naval exercise -DND
• Maritime drill addresses interoperability issues: Navy chief
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• Vietnam holds first planning conference for AMNEX 2/2020
• PH Navy expands presence with missile, blue water capability
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• Indian warships take part in international maritime defence exhibition in Singapore
• India's multilateral naval exercises proves its commitment for Act East policy; says Indian envoy
• Speaking Of Asia: When the French go marching in
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• BRP Ramon Alcaraz deployed for US- Asean naval drills
• Singapore in first joint naval exercise with India and Thailand
• Larger-scale military exercises in store as Singapore and China upgrade defence pact
• Politics: Vietnam’s Naval Force Prepares for IMR 2020 and AMNEX 2-2020
• CHINA PROPOSES ANOTHER MARITIME EXERCISE WITH ASEAN
Page 2 of 164 © 2021 Factiva, Inc. All rights reserved.

Ministry of Defence: India and Australia Agree to Step Up Defence Cooperation Progressively
Distributed by Contify.com
383 words
2 January 2012
India Public Sector News
ATPUBS
English
Copyright © 2012. Contify.com
New Delhi, Jan. 2 -- India and Australia held fruitful discussion on Defence Cooperation today with the Defence
Minister Shri AK Antony stressing that New Delhi looks forward to developing its exchanges with Australia both
at the bilateral and multilateral fora such as the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM Plus) etc.
Describing the visit of the Australian Defence Minister Mr. Stephen Smith as an important milestone in the
evolution of the Indo-Australia Strategic Partnership, Shri Antony said the two countries are important members
of the Commonwealth and the Asia-Pacific Region. India and Australia are currently Chair and Vice-Chair of
IOR-ARC (Indian Ocean Region Association for Regional Cooperation).
Mr. Smith is on a three-day visit to India. On his arrival at the South Block, he was warmly received by Shri
Antony, the Defence Secretary Shri Shashikant Sharma and other senior officials of the Ministry of Defence. A
tri-Services Guard of Honour was presented to Mr. Smith.
During the talks, both sides noted that the bilateral Defence Cooperation activities are gradually strengthening.
They noted that the inaugural session of the Defence Policy Talks held in New Delhi in December last year and
the ongoing Service-to-Service Staff Talks are important mechanisms for developing constructive and mutually
beneficial interactions between the Defence Establishments of both the countries. The two sides also noted that
the practice of the respective Navies conducting Passage Exercises (PASSEX) during Naval Ship Visits to each
other's ports have proved to be beneficial and that these should continue. Both Ministers also agreed to examine
the possibility of undertaking a full-fledged bilateral Naval Exercise in the future.
The two Defence Ministers agreed to institute Track 1.5 Dialogues (semi-government level) on Defence Matters
between suitable institutions of both sides. Mr. Smith invited Shri Antony to visit Australia next year, which has
been accepted by the latter.
Regional Security issues also came up for discussion at the 40-minute meeting. Both sides agreed that the
challenges in the area of Maritime Security like piracy and freedom of navigation are important issues which
required concerted efforts of the global community.
Images, graphs or charts, if any, have been removed
Document ATPUBS0020120103e8120008p

China, Russia concludes naval drills
410 words
27 April 2012
Samay Live
ATSAML
English
Copyright © 2012 Sahara Samay
Stepping up their maritime cooperation in the backdrop of major US military push into Asia Pacific, navies of
China-Russia have concluded their first joint naval drills in recent times in the Yellow Sea.
The warships of both the countries concluded an ammunition drill yesterday, both countries' drill directors said.
The exercises were conducted in the backdrop of US-Philippine military drills to be followed by war games
between militaries of US-Vietnam. China is currently locked up in major maritime disputes with ASEAN
countries over host of islands in South China Sea.
Six warships, including the Chinese navy's missile destroyer Harbin and the Slava-class guided missile cruiser
Varyag, the flagship of the Russian Navy's Pacific Fleet conducted varies exercises off Chinese coast city
Qingdao in the Yellow Sea.
Vice-Admiral Ding Yiping, deputy commander of the Navy of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, said
China-Russia navies accomplished all of the goals of the exercises, with excellent results.
The drills began on April 22. "But both navies devoted the most advanced vessels,submarines and aircraft, as
well as proficient information command technologies," Ding was quoted as saying by state run China Daily.
"Only countries that are highly friendly and trustworthy to each other would like to do conduct such as
confrontation drill," he said.Russian Naval Deputy Chief of Staff Rear Admiral Leonid Sukhanov said China and
Russia improved their coordination and cooperation ability to uphold both sides' maritime safety.
The live naval exercise between Russia and China,which was agreed to last year, is not related to the current
regional situation, China's National Defence Ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng said."It's not aimed at any third
parties, but to enhance regional peace and stability, and especially to safeguard both sides' transport routes and
economic interests," he said.
"The joint military exercise is being conducted without an imaginary enemy, and it fully reflects the new form of
the relationship between the nations, which is no alliance, no conflict and no moves against any third country,"
he said.
The PLA Daily said that a military alliance based on a Cold War mentality is against the China-Russia strategic
partnership. "China pursues unswervingly an independent foreign policy of peace, and would not join any
alliances or military blocs to engage in military competition, expansion and hegemony," it said.
Images, graphs or charts, if any, have been removed
Document ATSAML0020120427e84r00034

INTERNATIONAL
New rules of engagement for the Asia-Pacific region
Harsh V Pant
855 words
18 July 2012
DNA - Daily News & Analysis
DNADAI
English
Copyright 2012. Diligent Media Corporation Ltd.
DNA Analysis
The ASEAN summit in Phnom Penh last week ended without any movement on the South China Sea dispute.
For the first time in ASEAN's 45-year history, it ended without even a basic diplomatic communiquďż˝, which
was blocked by China. China remains embroiled in a range of disputes with its neighbours over the South China
Sea and they show no sign of abating anytime soon.
These tensions come at a time when the US has initiated its foreign policy pivot towards Asia. As the US
Secretary of State has already underlined, "the future of politics will be decided in Asia, not Afghanistan or Iraq,
and the US will be right at the centre of the action." At a time when talk of American decline and retrenchment
from global commitments has become de riguer, the signals coming from Washington are that it has no intention
of leaving the Asian strategic landscape. Nor will regional states allow America to lower its profile. After all, the
elephant in the room (region) is China's faster than expected ascent in global inter-state hierarchy. The new
defence strategy outlined by Washington recently is explicitly geared towards tackling the emerging threat from
China's massive and rapid military build-up.
With his visit to Asia last November and with a new military strategy that focuses on the region, the Obama
Administration is underscoring America's commitment to regional stability at a time when the US is wrapping up
two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This new strategy is unambiguous in underlining the challenge in the Asia-
Pacific and turning America's gaze to this geo-strategically pivotal region and to China's growing prowess. "We'll
be strengthening our presence in the Asia-Pacific, and budget reductions will not come at the expense of this
critical region," Obama remarked at the Pentagon while releasing the new strategy. It remains to be seen how
successful this strategy will be in meeting the challenges of the future but it should give some respite to regional
states, including India, who are confronted with a rapidly rising China and all its attendant consequences.
The US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, was in Asian again this past week. She visited Mongolia, Vietnam
and Laos, all states eager to embrace the US as a strategic counterweight to China. As the US starts its pivot
towards the Asia-Pacific, China's influence over the region will inevitably be challenged. She visited Laos with
great fanfare and sent an unambiguous signal that Washington is not shy of challenging Beijing in its own
backyard.
But tensions over South China Sea loomed over Clinton's Asia tour. The Philippines and Vietnam have been
raising concerns about China's assertiveness in the South China Sea. The Philippine President Benigni Aquino III
has even suggested that he may ask the US to deploy spy planes over the South China Sea to help monitor
disputed waters in the region. The state-run Chinese media has been very vocal about states like the Philippines
and Vietnam asking Beijing to "teach them an unforgettable lesson when it is time to hit back."
Beijing's stance on South China Sea territorial dispute has significant economic and strategic implications. Many
of the crucial sea routes leading to Japan, South Korea and other East and Southeast Asian states run through the
South China Sea. If China manages to get exclusive control over these waterways, it will give Beijing a grip on
the economic jugulars of all these nations.
Japan has suggested that the membership of the annual ASEAN Maritime Forum be expanded to include the US,
Australia and India. It has reached out to states like the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia to build

defence ties. PLAN's East Sea Fleet simulated an amphibious assault on the disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku islands
during a major naval exercise sending a signal to Tokyo that China remains prepared o take these islands by
force. Japan summoned the Chinese Ambassador last week to lodge a diplomatic protest after three Chinese
patrol boats entered the disputed islands.
At a time of growing turmoil in the region, the commemorative India-ASEAN summit later this year marking 20
years of India's Look East Policy will underscore the distance India's engagement with this very important region
has traversed on the last two decades. Despite repeated pronouncements by the government, the partnership
remains underdeveloped. The economic integration remains a work in progress and augmentation of regional
connectivities has been lackadaisical.
Though India enjoys strong bilateral ties with most regional states, these relationships need strengthening and
focus. Stronger regional engagement remains one of the most effective ways of countering China's growing
profile in the region. It is imperative for New Delhi to reorient the direction of Indian diplomacy and economic
policy as Asia becomes the centre of global economics over the next decade. New Delhi should be cultivating the
region with greater purposefulness also to manage the rise of China that threatens to unravel the regional balance
of power.
Document DNADAI0020120718e87i0001t

The US has invited China to join the world's largest international naval exercise ,...
295 words
5 February 2013
Federal Government Broadcast Alerts
MMAGBA
English
Copyright 2013 Media Monitors Australia Pty Ltd. All Rights Reserved
5/02/2013 06:48:13 RN Radio National Canberra Breakfast (Early) Fran Kelly
The US has invited China to join the world's largest international naval exercise, 'The Rim of the Pacific',
involving 22 nations. Australia have also asked China to be part of a naval review in Sydney later this year. Paul
Dibb, Professor of strategic and defence studies at the ANU, calls the invitation to Hawaii as significant, but it
will be a test regarding their transparency and multilateral co-operation. There has been confrontational activity
in the South China Sea and East China Sea over recent months, and a harder line from China at the ASEAN
forum. The Head of the US Navy has asked for a focus on convergent interests, such as counter-piracy, counter-
terrorism, protecting sea lanes, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. Dibb believes the US want to manage
the peace, rather than slip to strategic competition and confrontation. He believes recent comments made by
Kevin Rudd, regarding world war, are ill advised. Dibb says Australia has developed military and defence
relations with China for the last 30 years, so the invite to Sydney is an evolution drawing China into being a
'normal' member of the international community. The invitation coincides with concerns over cyber-security,
with the Chinese accused of attacks on newspapers and stealing journalist emails and other personal information.
Dibb says sufficient information points to China and Russia mounting serious cyber-attacks against government
institutions, major companies and military capabilities. The PM's personal computer was attacked in parliament
house.
Duration - 545 seconds.
Stationphone - 02 8333 1500.
Syndicatedstationcount - 8.
Interviewee - Paul Dibb, Professor of strategic and defence studies at the ANU.
Document MMAGBA0020130205e92500038

Indonesia plans naval drill in Southeast Asia
355 words
22 March 2013
PNA (Philippines News Agency)
PHILNA
English
(c) 2013 Philippines News Agency
JAKARTA, March 22 -- Indonesia sets up a plan to hold a joint naval exercise, inviting navies from ASEAN
countries and those beyond the region, in a bid to boost regional stability, media quoting officer reported here on
Friday.
Indonesian Navy chief of staff Vice Admiral Marsetio said on Thursday that the Indonesian Navy (TNI-AL)
would pitch the plan during the International Maritime Security Symposium in Jakarta in December. The forum
is expected to draw more than 45 navy chiefs from around the world.
"We would like to give a short briefing that we have a plan to conduct the multilateral exercise. For the first step,
we would like to invite all ASEAN members. It could also be ASEAN plus two, three or 10 (partner countries),"
he was quoted by the Jakarta Post as saying.
The officer said that the drill was expected to help the region deal with a wide range of maritime security
challenges, including territorial disputes, transnational crimes, safety of sea transportation and catastrophes.
"The important issue is how the countries in the region can enhance their humanitarian and disaster-relief
efforts," he said on the sidelines of Jakarta International Defense Dialogue (JIDD) 2013.
Rear Admiral Anne Cullerre, joint commander of armed forces in French Polynesia, welcomed the idea of a
naval exercise in Southeast Asia.
"I think the proposal for the exercise is good. More people will talk and work together. It would encourage
greater cooperation and interoperability," she said at the JIDD.
During a discussion at the forum, Indonesian Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Djoko
Suyanto warned that energy and food scarcities could pose a threat to security and stability in the region.
"Looking at the rapid growth of populations, leaders must ensure uninterrupted supplies of food, energy and
water for their people. A failure to fulfill these needs could become a potential source of conflict," said Suyanto.
(PNA/Xinhua)Published by HT Syndication with permission from Philippines News Agency.
For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at
htsyndication@hindustantimes.com
Document PHILNA0020130322e93m0008i

ASEAN and partners prepare for large-scale naval exercise
207 words
17 June 2013
Vietnam News Agency Bulletin
VIETNA
English
(c) 2013 iInvest Pty. Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Jakarta, June 17 (VNA) – Indonesia is stepping up preparations to host the 2014 Komodo multilateral naval
exercise between ASEAN and eight of its dialogue partners, which is slated to take place in April next year.
According to Colonel Amarullah Octavian, Sea Combat Task Force chief of the Indonesian Navy’s Western
Fleet, the islands of Batam and Natuna in Riau province have been designated as the exercise areas.
The drill, which aims to improve naval cooperation capabilities in disaster response, rescue and relief, will
involve 28 warships and 4,500 soldiers from 18 countries, including the 10 ASEAN members and Australia,
China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, the Republic of Korea and the United States, Octavian said.
The 18 participating countries will also join a Counter Terrorism Exercise (CTx) to be held at the Indonesian
Peace and Security Centre in Sentul, Bogor, in West Java in September this year.
The CTx will be co-hosted by Indonesia and the US as co-chairs of a regional counterterrorism initiative under
the ASEAN Defence Minister Meeting Plus (ADMM+) framework.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) includes Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, the Philippines,
Singapore, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. /.
Document VIETNA0020130617e96h0008e

Politics: Indonesia to Host ASEAN + Naval Drill, Vietnam Yet to Confirm Participation
256 words
18 June 2013
Vietnam News Brief Service
VIETNB
English
(c) 2013 Toan Viet Limited Company. All rights reserved.
Indonesia has announced its plan to conduct Komodo multi-lateral naval exercise with the participation of the
ASEAN and its eight dialogue partners slated in April next year.
The naval drill, involving 28 warships and 4,500 soldiers from ten ASEAN’s members and the U.S., India,
Japan, Australia, China, New Zealand, Russia, and South Korea, will be held in Batam and Natuna Islans in Riau
province, said Colonel Amarullah Octavian chief of the Sea Combat Task Force of the Indonesian Navy’s
Western Fleet.
The Vietnamese side has yet to respond to the news as the country often does not participate in military drills
abroad, including the Golden Cobra military drill co-hosted by the U.S. and Thailand. However, Vietnam has
sent military units to participate in humanitarian activities organized by Brunei with participation of the
ASEAN’s members and the bloc’s partners this month.
The ASEAN+ naval drill also aims to prevent China’s claim of Natuna’s areas, Mr. Octavian said. So far, China
has not claimed these areas but has asserted ownership of nearly the entire East Sea, including islands and sea
waters from Vietnam, the Philippines and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
The 18 participating countries will also join a Counter Terrorism Exercise (CTx), co-hosted by Indonesia and the
U.S., to be held at the Indonesian Peace and Security Centre in Sentul, Bogor, in West Java in September this
year.
Document VIETNB0020130617e96i0003k

Department of Defense Press Briefing with Secretary Hagel and Gen. Chang from the Pentagon
4,084 words
19 August 2013
Department of Defense Documents
DODDOC
English
Copyright © 2013 Federal Information & News Dispatch, Inc.
Department of Defense Releases - Transcripts
Department of Defense Press Briefing with Secretary Hagel and Gen. Chang from the Pentagon
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE CHUCK HAGEL: Good afternoon. Today, I'm pleased to welcome Minister of
Defence General Chang to the Pentagon. We just finished a very productive meeting, where I restated that the
United States is committed to building a positive and constructive relationship with China. The China-U.S.
relationship is important for stability and security in the Asia Pacific and achieving security and prosperity for
our two nations in the 21st century.
One of the themes we emphasized today was that a sustained, substantive military-to-military relationship is an
important pillar for this strong bilateral relationship. The United States welcomes and supports the rise of a
prosperous and responsible China that help solve regional and global problems.
Our goal is to build trust between our militaries through cooperation. The United States has invited for the first
time the PLA navy to join our largest multilateral naval exercise, RIMPAC, that will take place next year. This
morning, General Chang and I have affirmed that we will continue expanding our defense exchanges and joint
exercises. Earlier this summer, for the first time, Chinese midshipmen joined in a multinational exchange
program at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis.
Today, our Military Maritime Consultative Agreement Working Group is meeting in Hawaii to discuss
humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. And this weekend, our navies will conduct another counter-piracy
exercise in the Gulf of Aden, building on the first-ever joint counter-piracy exercise we held last year.
General Chang brought up two of the initiatives that President Xi proposed to President Obama at their summit
in June, one, a way to notify each other of major military activities, and, two, rules of behavior for military air
and naval activities.
I welcomed this discussion and noticed that the transparency that we've had is important to reducing the risk of
miscalculation and avoiding unintended tensions or conflicts. Our staffs are exploring those initiatives and will
continue discussing them.
General Chang and I have also both welcomed this recent establishment of the new U.S.-China cyber working
group as a venue for addressing issues of mutual concern in the area of cyber. We discussed a number of regional
security issues, as well, including North Korea, the East China Sea, the South China Sea, and I reaffirmed
longstanding U.S. policies on these issues.
With respect to competing maritime claims, I noted that while the United States does not take a position on
sovereignty in these cases, we do have an interest in these claims being resolved peacefully, without coercion.
The general and I affirmed the importance of maintaining open channels of communication, and we agreed that
it's important to continue high-level visits, such as, as you all are aware, General Dempsey's visit to China earlier
this year.
General Odierno and General Welsh will visit China later this year, and PLA Navy Commander Admiral Wu will
visit the United States. Today, General Dempsey also offered to host his counterpart, PLA General Fang, for a
visit to the United States next year.
In our meeting this morning, General Chang invited me to visit China next year, and I enthusiastically accepted.
I look forward to seeing him again at next week's ASEAN defense ministers meeting in Brunei, as part of my
trip to Southeast Asia. I'll also visit Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines on this trip.

Now I'll ask General Chang for his comments before we take questions from all of you. Thank you very much.
Thank you.
GENERAL CHANG WANQUAN (through translator): Friends from the press, good afternoon. At the invitation
of Secretary Hagel, I am leading this senior military delegation from the People's Liberation Army to visit the
United States, bringing the friendship from the Chinese people and the Chinese military. The purpose of my visit
is to implement the important consensus reached by President Xi Jinping and President Obama of building a new
model of major country relationship based on mutual respect and win-win cooperation, to further increase
mutual understanding, to enhance mutual trust, to promote mutual cooperation, and to push forward the sound
and stable development of our national and military relations.
In the -- in the past few days, we visited U.S. PACOM, U.S. NORTHCOM, and NORAD. We were well received
and experienced warm hospitality from the American people and from the officers and soldiers of the U.S.
military. Here let me say thank you on behalf of all my colleagues.
This morning, Secretary Hagel and I had a candid and deepened exchange of views over our national and
military relations, international and regional security issues, and other issues of common concerns. We reached
five agreements.
Firstly, we both agreed that our military-to-military relationship is an important component of our overall
bilateral relations and that the current military relationship is gaining a good momentum. We both agreed to
earnestly implement the important consensus reached by the two presidents during their Sunnylands summit to
work together to strengthen our military relationship and attempt to elevate it to a new height.
Secondly, we both agreed to continue to strengthen our high-level visits, deepen our consultations and dialogues
in order to increase our mutual trust. Specifically, the U.S. welcomes the visit by the PLA chief of general staff in
2014. China welcomes the visit by U.S. secretary of defense and chief of naval operations in 2014.
Secretary Hagel and I agreed to set up an exchange mechanism between the PLA Strategic Planning Department
and J5 Strategic, Plans and Policy, U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. We also agreed to take use of mechanisms, such as
defense consultative talks, military maritime consultative agreements, to actively explore a notification
mechanism for major military activities and continue to study the rules of behavior on military air and maritime
activities.
Thirdly, we both believe that the Chinese and the U.S. militaries are carrying an increasingly important
responsibility in maintaining peace and stability in the Asia Pacific region. Both sides agreed to play a
constructive role in regional affairs, promoting the positive interaction between the two militaries in this region.
We also agreed to strengthen coordination and cooperation under Asia Pacific multilateral security dialogues,
mechanisms, and frameworks. China will participate in the Ring of Pacific exercise in 2014, as invited.
Fourthly, we're in agreement that the two militaries share wide common interests and foundation for cooperation
in nontraditional security areas. We both agreed to further enhance exchanges and cooperation in humanitarian
assistance and disaster relief, counterterrorism, anti-piracy, and peacekeeping. We both confirmed to conduct the
first China-U.S. humanitarian assistance and disaster relief exercise with active force in Hawaii this November.
We also agreed to have an exploratory discussion on logistics issues in support of nontraditional security
missions later this year.
Fifthly, we both agreed to further deepen military archives cooperation, setting up a military archives
cooperation mechanism in which both sides can build upon the existing cooperation of the PLA assist in U.S. to
search those missing in actions and strengthen a two-way exchange of related military archives and materials.
At present, the China-U.S. relationship is in a new historical era. Building a new model of China-U.S. military
relationship can help us to increase strategic trust to reduce strategic risks and to maintain world peace and
regional stability. China is ready to work with the U.S. to seriously implemented our presidents' important
consensus, to -- to raise our military-to-military relationship to a new height by strengthening our dialogue,
communication, and practical cooperation, and by properly handle our disputes and differences.
Thank you.

SEC. HAGEL: Thanks.
GEORGE LITTLE: We'll now move to questions. There will be two per side. And we'll pause for translation
after each question. And we'll start with Bob Burns of the Associated Press.
Q: Thank you. General Chang, a question for you. The U.S. has spoken quite a lot recently about pivoting to
Asia. I'm wondering if you see justification for a larger U.S. military presence in the Asia Pacific. Do you see
evidence of that yet? And do you think it's helpful or harmful that the U.S. is trying to increase its influence in
the region?
A question for Secretary Hagel on Egypt, in light of the violence there in recent days. You had quite a series of
contacts with General Al-Sisi in recent days. Given what transpired over the last several days, do you feel that
your message fell on deaf ears? And also, what's the way ahead, in your view? Do you need to cut off military-
to-military relations? Do you stop arms transfers? And do you -- are you concerned about the safety of U.S.
military personnel in the Sinai, where there's been a lot of violence lately? Thank you.
GEN. CHANG (through translator): Regarding the U.S.-Asia Pacific rebalancing strategy, I would like to first
make a point by quoting the chairman of the People's Republic of China. President Xi used to say that the Pacific
is wide enough to accommodate both two great countries, China and United States.
It's always the Chinese position to welcome the U.S. to play a constructive role in the Asia Pacific. And we also
noted the U.S. statement many times, that the U.S. rebalancing strategy is a comprehensive one, incorporating
areas such as economics and social and also including military.
It is also worth to be noted that certain Asia Pacific nations have noted that the military aspect has been
highlighted in this comprehensive strategy, including to strengthen the military deployment in the region,
enhancing the U.S. alignments in this region by conducting military cooperations and military -- joint military
exercises.
We also noticed that the frequency and intensity of such kind of joint military exercises are increasing upon the
recent time. From certain degree, this kind of intensified military activities further complicated the situation in
the region.
China is a peace-loving nation. And we hope that this strategy does not target a specific country in the region.
And the development of China is not only conducive to our own country, to the entire region, but also to United
States. Being together with all the Asia Pacific countries, regional countries, including United States, it is a
common aspiration of all of the countries that we wish to have peace in the region. Therefore, it is our hope that
this rebalancing strategy is a constructive one that could help the peace and stability in the region.
And on the other hand, we would like to have this rebalancing strategy balanced on different countries, as well,
because the essence of rebalancing is -- is balance. It would be a -- it would be a balancing strategy if such kind
of factors are taken into consideration. What is the most important is China is ready to work with the United
States to maintain the regional peace and stability.
Thank you.
SEC. HAGEL: Bob, yes, I have had many phone calls with General Al-Sisi over the last five weeks, but so has
all of our national security team been involved in working with the Egyptians on dealing with this -- this issue. I
say that because we've all consistently framed the same message.
As President Obama said last week, the violence must end, national emergency lifted. The interim government of
Egypt must get back to an inclusive approach to reconciliation in Egypt. All of us have consistently said that.
The United States has a longstanding relationship with Egypt that's based on our respect for the people of Egypt,
the country of Egypt. We have interests, clearly, in the Middle East, interests that include hopefully a
development of some progress toward an Israeli-Palestinian settlement. So we continue to work with the
Egyptian interim government, as well as the Egyptian military.
Yes, we are concerned about our people, Americans, all Americans in Egypt. Protection of Americans in Egypt,
not just only our diplomats, but all Americans, is of the highest priority. And we all -- all the American

government officials, including American military, have been working very closely with the Egyptian military
and police to assure the security and protection of Americans in Egypt, and we'll continue to do that.
Q: Are you concerning reducing that -- the peacekeeping force?
SEC. HAGEL: As President Obama has said, we're reviewing every aspect of our relationship with Egypt. Thank
you.
(UNKNOWN): Now Xinhua News Agency, please.
Q (through translator): My question goes to General Chang. General Chang, you just mentioned for many times
about the meeting between President Xi Jinping and President Obama and that the two presidents agreed to build
a new model of bilateral relationship. And at the same time, President Xi proposed to build a new model of
military relationship in accordance to the new model bilateral relationship. So my question is, what is actually
the concept of this new model of military relationship?
GEN. CHANG (through translator): Thank you for your question. As we all know that President Xi summarized
in three points the new model of this major country relationship between China and the United States, no
confrontation, no antagonism, and respect each other towards win-win cooperation.
We believe as a new model of military relationship in accordance with the new model of bilateral relations, there
are some is and some isn't in this concept. Firstly, it is a relationship in which both sides respect the other side. It
is not a relationship dominated by either side alone.
Both sides respect the others' vital interests and major concerns, pay attention to the others' comfort level, not
forcefully imposing one's will onto the other, or not gaining one's own interests at the expense of interests of the
other.
Secondly, it is a relationship of cooperation and win-win. It is not a relationship of zero-sum game or

antagonism. Both sides work hard to expand our mutual interests and areas of cooperation to take measures to
effectively manage our fractions and risks towards the ultimate goal of cooperation and win-win to avoid the
recidivist trap.
Thirdly, it's a relationship of mutual trust. It is not a relationship of mutual suspicion. Both sides view each
other's strategic intention in objective manner to push forward those mechanisms that help mutual trust to refrain
from words and actions that could pose negative effect upon mutual trust, not to make unwarranted accusations
and to reduce misperception and miscalculations.
Fourthly, it is a relationship featuring exchanges and cooperation in many areas. It is not a relationship that is
imbalanced and only focused on few areas for cooperation. A healthy and mature military-to-military
relationship should be a comprehensive one, instead of an imbalanced one. In order to build a new model of
military relationship, we need more substantive exchanges in wider areas and more practical cooperation in more
diversified forms.
Finally, it is a relationship of openness and inclusiveness. It is not a relationship of exclusiveness or selfishness.

While working to ensure the stability of China-U.S. relationship, it is imperative to work with other international
community members to strengthen communication, coordination and cooperation, to maintain strategic balance
and stability of the world, and in particular of Asia Pacific region.
I'm not sure if I've made my point clear or not. Thank you.
MR. LITTLE: We'll turn now to Jim Miklaszewski of NBC News.
(LAUGHTER)
Q: It easily translates. For General Chang, you spoke today of mutual trust, yet there are persistent reports that
the Chinese government and military have launched cyber attacks against U.S. government targets and interests.
What -- what is your response to those reports?
And given the fact that this cyber working group has been put together, what steps are the Chinese willing to

take to restore the kind of faith and confidence between the Chinese and the U.S. on that front and reduce the
potential threat for any cyber warfare?
And for you, Mr. Secretary, despite the persistent pleas from the U.S. government, your own personal efforts, the
bloodshed today in Egypt continues. In what appears to be a further blow to democracy, there are reports the
government is prepared to release the convicted former president Hosni Mubarak from prison and additional
reports that the Saudis have pledged to make up any shortfalls that the Egyptians may run into if the U.S. cuts
back any further aid.
And -- and one housekeeping measure. Is the U.S. prepared to cancel or at least postpone the shipment of
Apache attack helicopters to Egypt?
GEN. CHANG (through translator): Actually, complete -- trying to complete our extra missions regarding
answering questions. As we all know that cyber is a completely new domain, and cyber security has been a
worldwide difficulty.
It is always the Chinese government's position to take peaceful use of cyberspace. We oppose of having any kind
of arms race in the cyber domain, and we oppose of taking use of information and technology to conduct any
kind of operation and hostility towards another party in the cyber domain. And we oppose of taking advantage of
the information -- the technological advantage to weaken other parties' sovereign control in this -- in this domain.
And we are opposed of taking any kind of double standard in this domain.
China is one of the primary victims from hacker attacks in the world. We are faced to severe threats coming from
those cyber attacks. The Chinese government consistently oppose and cracks down the cyber crimes according to
our laws. And the Chinese military has never supported any form of hacker activities.
Regarding how to solve the cyber security issue, I believe it requires the common exploration and cooperation
between China and United States, rather than ungrounded accusation or suspicion. I believe that Secretary Hagel
touched upon this issue in his -- in his remarks that we will work to cooperate to try to solve this issue.
Thank you.
SEC. HAGEL: Jim, three parts to the question. I don't know about a Mubarak report. I'm not aware of it. I can't
help you.
Saudi Arabia. As you know, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait announced a couple weeks ago that they committed to a
considerable amount of assistance to Egypt. The specifics of your question regarding Saudi Arabia, I -- I don't
know about those specifics.
Your question regarding cancellation of Apache helicopters or other parts, as I said to Bob, we're reviewing all
aspects of our relationship.
Q: But given all that, Mr. Secretary, is the U.S. powerless to effect any change, to bring an end to the bloodshed
in Egypt right now And why not answer the calls from Capitol Hill in particular now, just pull all the aid out, if
they're not cooperating or don't appear to be cooperating at any level?
SEC. HAGEL: Well, first, there's not a consistent call from Capitol Hill one way or the other, as you know, on
this issue. But more to the point, we have serious interests in Egypt and that part of the world. This is a very
complicated problem. We continue to work with all the parties to try to help as much as we can facilitate a
reconciliation, a stop of the violence.
Our ability to influence the outcome in Egypt is limited. It's up to the Egyptian people. And they are a large,
great, sovereign nation. And it will be their responsibility to sort -- to sort this out. All nations are limited in their
influence in another nation's internal issues. I don't think the United States is without influence, but that has to be
a collaborative effort focused on what the Egyptian people want, supporting the Egyptian people. And we
believe, as I've said, the president's said, Secretary Kerry has said, Ambassador Patterson, Deputy Secretary of
State Burns, that should come as an inclusive, open, democratic process, allowing all people to have a role in the
future of their country. Thank you.
TRANSLATOR: Do want that translated, sir, for the benefit of the Chinese minister?

SEC. HAGEL: He did that exactly right.
(LAUGHTER)
Thank you. I didn't realize I spoke that long. I'm sorry, Jim.
(UNKNOWN) (through translator): Now last question from (inaudible)
Q (through translator): I have two questions respectively for General Chang and Secretary Hagel. For General
Chang, how do you see the current Asia Pacific security situation? And how do you see the interaction between
PLA and the U.S. military in the Asia Pacific?
And to Secretary Hagel, would you like to elaborate a little bit on how -- what substantive steps should the U.S.
take in building such kind of new model of relationship?
GEN. CHANG (through translator): I understand our friends from the -- press friends' concern about the Asia
Pacific security situation. It is also one of our major concerns, because the regional security situation is closely
linked to the overall peace and stability -- stability in the world.
And I have several points to make. Firstly, the current situation in Asia Pacific is generally stable, but there
remains some hot spots and sensitive issues. Some hot issues are heating, while some other sensitive issues are
getting more even sensitive. Improper handling of these issues could lead to a severe impact on the overall
security situation in the region.
Secondly, the Chinese people always have their love on peace. China always is a staunch defender of the peace
and stability in the Asia Pacific. We always insist that related disputes be solved through dialogue and
negotiation. However, no one should fantasize that China would barter away our core interests. And no one
should underestimate our will and determination in defending our territory, sovereignty, and maritime rights.
Thirdly, the Asia Pacific is our common homeland. Nations big or small, strong or weak, should make positive
and constructive efforts for promoting regional peace and stability. Any action that leads to trouble or
provocation, any action -- unwanted action out of the self-interest or further complicates or magnifies the
situation would be highly irresponsible and will not lead to a favorable result.
And as just as I mentioned before, that we believe peace is the essence of Pacific, which means the Ocean of
Peace in Chinese, or the essence of rebalance is balance. For any country to make a strategic readjustment, it is
imperative to take regional peace and stability in mind and is important to balance the security concerns of
different -- different regional countries.
The Asia Pacific is a region where the interests of China and United States intertwine the most and where China
and United States interact most frequently. The two countries enjoy huge space and potential for cooperation in
this region. The People's Liberation Army is ready to work with the U.S. military by strengthening our
communication, coordination, and cooperation to pay more concerted contribution to the regional peace,
stability, and prosperity. Thank you.
SEC. HAGEL: As to your question regarding new models for our two countries, specifically military-to-military
relationships, let me begin this way. I think it's fundamental to the efforts that are underway, as General Chang
and I have both noted, and President Xi and President Obama noted, to develop relationships, avenues of
opportunity for transparency, for understanding each other's intentions far better than we have in the past.
To carry forward the facilitation of those efforts require institutions, institutions of common interests, like what
General Chang talked about this morning in his opening statement, as well as some of the specific items that I
addressed, working groups for every general area of challenge, senior-level leadership exchanges, which I noted
a number in my remarks, as did General Chang, those are the forms that you build in order to address the great
challenges and issues and differences between our countries. And that's what we're doing.
Thank you.
GEN. CHANG (through translator): Thank you.

SEC. HAGEL: Thank you all.
MR. LITTLE: Thank you, everyone.
703-697-5131; media@defenselink.mil
Document DODDOC0020130820e98j00005

U.S.-India Joint Statement
1,993 words
27 September 2013
White House Press Releases And Documents
WHPR
English
Copyright (c) 2013 Federal Information & News Dispatch, Inc.
White House Press Releases
The Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh and the President of the United States of America Barack
Obama met this morning followed by a working luncheon at the White House. Marking their third bilateral
summit, the two Leaders reflected proudly on the transformation of United States-India relations during the last
decade, affirming that the partnership between the two democratic nations is stronger today than at any point in
its 67-year history.
Rooted in common democratic values and strong people-to-people ties, the United States and India have
developed a comprehensive global strategic partnership, both in name and in substance, that has made their
citizens safer and more prosperous.
President Obama and Prime Minister Singh pledged to make the next decade equally as transformative,
challenging their governments to reach the full potential of this partnership, particularly in the areas of security
cooperation, bilateral trade and investment, energy and environment, higher education, and global architecture.
The Leaders called for expanding security cooperation between the United States and India to address 21st
century challenges in the areas of counter-terrorism, cyber, space, and global health security.
Applauding bilateral defense cooperation, including trade and military exercises, President Obama and Prime
Minister Singh expressed satisfaction with the progress achieved to date in defense relations. They emphasized
the need for more intensive defense cooperation on both sides. The Leaders reaffirmed their desire to further
strengthen defense trade cooperation, endorsing a Joint Declaration on Defense Cooperation as a means of
enhancing their partnership in defense technology transfer, joint research, co-development, and co-production.
President Obama encouraged the further participation of U.S. firms in partnering India's efforts to enhance its
defense capacities. President Obama also welcomed India's decision to participate in the Rim of the Pacific
(RIMPAC) naval exercise hosted by U.S. Pacific Command in 2014.
Affirming their deep concern over the continuing threat posed by terrorism, President Obama and Prime Minister
Singh stressed the need for joint and concerted effort, including dismantling of terrorist safe havens, and
disrupting all financial and tactical support for terrorism. The Leaders decided to significantly expand
information sharing and intelligence cooperation to address threats to their respective nations, including
strengthening the bilateral relationship to exchange information on known and suspected terrorists. The Leaders
emphasized the importance of expanding homeland security cooperation to enhance exchanges on megacity
policing strategies, securing the global supply chain and anti-counterfeiting efforts. India welcomed the U.S.
offer of membership in the U.S. "Global Entry" Trusted Traveler Network Program, to facilitate expedited entry
of Indian travelers to the United States.
Noting that two-way trade has increased fivefold since 2001 to nearly $100 billion, President Obama and Prime
Minister Singh agreed that there are no insurmountable impediments to bilateral trade increasing an additional
fivefold. President Obama expressed confidence that the ongoing Indian economic reforms and policy measures
to liberalize India's economy would accelerate economic growth, opening greater avenues for trade and creating
jobs in both countries. In this respect, the Leaders recognized in particular the role and contribution of the Indian
and U.S. Information Technology (IT) industry and the IT enabled service industry in strengthening India-U.S.
trade and investment relations.
The Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to concluding a high-standard Bilateral Investment Treaty that will
foster openness to investment, transparency, and predictability, and thereby support economic growth and job
creation in both countries. The Leaders welcomed progress toward increased engagement by experts from both
governments, underlining the need for expeditious progress to address all trade and investment policy issues of

bilateral concern so as to remove obstacles and improve the business environment in both countries. In this
respect, both sides agreed to consider establishing a Joint Committee on Investment in Manufacturing.
The Leaders also committed their officials to work toward a successful outcome at the World Trade Organization
Ministerial Conference in Bali.
The Leaders welcomed the robust cooperation in cutting-edge scientific research and joint collaboration in
science, innovation, and entrepreneurship, for the benefit of citizens in both countries. The United States
welcomed the invitation by India for the United States to be Partner Country in India's Science and Technology
Summit in 2014.
President Obama and Prime Minister Singh discussed ways to strengthen bilateral efforts to promote energy
efficiency, clean energy, and address climate change.
In the civil nuclear power sector, President Obama and Prime Minister Singh noted that, with government-to-
government procedures agreed, commercial negotiations between U.S. companies and the Nuclear Power
Corporation of India (NPCIL) are proceeding. They welcomed the announcement that NPCIL and U.S. nuclear
company Westinghouse have concluded a Preliminary Contract to develop a nuclear power plant in Gujarat in
India. Building on this, the Leaders urged NPCIL and U.S. companies Westinghouse and General Electric-
Hitachi to expedite the necessary work to establish nuclear power plants in Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. Both
sides reaffirm their commitment to the full and timely implementation of the India-U.S. Civil Nuclear
Cooperation Agreement.
The U.S.-India Partnership to Advance Clean Energy (PACE), launched by the two Leaders in 2009, is expected
to pave the way for energy to millions of Indian households. To expand the availability of clean energy resources
to more people, President Obama and Prime Minister Singh endorsed the proposal to launch Promoting Energy
Access through Clean Energy (PEACE), a PACE initiative, to rapidly deploy innovative renewable energy
solutions to those who currently lack access to energy.
Recognizing that climate change is a defining challenge of our time and that there are mutual benefits to
intensifying cooperation, President Obama and Prime Minister Singh announced the establishment of an India-
U.S. Climate Change Working Group to develop and advance action-oriented cooperation, as well as to begin an
enhanced dialogue focusing on working closely in developing an ambitious climate change agreement for the
post-2020 period, and on strengthening bilateral efforts in this regard.
The two leaders agreed to immediately convene the India-U.S. Task Force on hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) to
discuss, inter alia, multilateral approaches that include using the expertise and the institutions of the Montreal
Protocol to phase down the consumption and production of HFCs, based on economically viable and technically
feasible alternatives, and include HFCs within the scope of the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Kyoto Protocol for accounting and reporting of emissions.
The Leaders are committed to support the full implementation of the agreed outcomes under the UNFCCC with
its ongoing negotiations. They strongly welcomed the efforts of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to
mobilize political will through 2014 toward the successful adoption of a protocol, another legal instrument, or an
agreed outcome with legal force under the convention applicable to all parties by 2015, during COP-21 that
France stands ready to host. They also supported complementary initiatives, through multilateral approaches that
include using the expertise and the institutions of the Montreal Protocol to phase down the production and the
consumption of HFCs, based on the examination of economically viable and technically feasible alternatives.
They will continue to include HFCs within the scope of UNFCCC and its Kyoto Protocol for accounting and
reporting of emissions.
President Obama and Prime Minister Singh emphasized the dangers that high oil prices can pose to the global
economy and the need to increase oil market transparency and emergency response collaboration, through closer
coordination and bilateral dialogue.
President Obama and Prime Minister Singh believe that the United States and India should look to each other as
partners of first resort in addressing global challenges.
The Leaders reflected on the important strategic partnerships the United States and India have formed with
Afghanistan, reaffirming their commitment to supporting a smooth security and political transition. The Leaders

recognized that violent extremists continue to pose challenges to Afghanistan's security and stability and, in this
context, emphasized the need for coordinated international support to help build the capacity of Afghan National
Defense and Security Forces. They noted that both India and the United States will remain committed to
contribute to peace, stability, and development in Afghanistan during the critical transformation decade (2015-
2024).
President Obama and Prime Minister Singh strongly condemned the September 26 terrorist attack in Samba in
Jammu and Kashmir. They reiterated their condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and reaffirmed their
commitment to eliminating terrorist safe havens and infrastructure, and disrupting terrorist networks including
Al-Qa'ida and the Lashkar-e-Taiba. The Leaders called for Pakistan to work toward bringing the perpetrators of
the November 2008 Mumbai attacks to justice.
In the spirit of their continuing non-proliferation cooperation, the Leaders reviewed the close cooperation of the
United States and India to realize India's intention of joining the multilateral export control regimes. The
President reaffirmed the United States support for India's early membership in these groups. Looking ahead to
the 2014 Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague, India and the United States also will deepen their cooperation,
including through the 2010 Memorandum of Understanding with India's Global Centre for Nuclear Energy
Partnership, to strengthen global nuclear security.
The Leaders stressed the need for diplomacy to resolve outstanding issues relating to Iran's nuclear program, and
called on Iran to comply with its IAEA and UN Security Council obligations.
The two Leaders also deplored the use of chemical weapons in Syria, stressing that the global norm against the
use of chemical weapons by anyone and anywhere must be maintained.
Consistent with the U.S. rebalance to Asia and India's Look East policy, the Leaders expressed a desire to partner
more closely with other Asia-Pacific countries, including greater coordination with Japan, China and ASEAN,
among others, including through the evolving institutional architecture of the region. The Leaders share a
commitment to support regional multilateral institutions as they continue to develop into effective bodies built on
international rules and norms that can address shared challenges.
Noting the contributions of Indian peacekeepers to global peace and stability for 60 years, the Leaders decided to
expand their United Nations peacekeeping cooperation, including capacity-building efforts with third countries.
Reaffirming that in the years ahead, the United States looks forward to a reformed UN Security Council with
India as a permanent member, President Obama and Prime Minister Singh agreed that both their nations bear a
responsibility to ensure that the Security Council continues to effectively play the role in maintaining
international peace and security envisioned in the United Nations Charter.
Building on ongoing consultations between India and the United States on East Asia, Central Asia, and West
Asia, and the trilateral dialogue mechanisms with Afghanistan and Japan respectively, the Leaders agreed to
expand their consultations to include a dialogue on the Indian Ocean Region, to deepen coordination on cross-
cutting issues including maritime security and conservation of natural resources.
The Leaders resolved to work together to end extreme poverty, including through expanding efforts to end
preventable child deaths through the Child Survival Call to Action. Fifty years after the launch of India's own
agricultural "Green Revolution," the Leaders applauded their countries' work together with African partners
Kenya, Malawi, and Liberia to provide capacity building and exchange best practices for food security.
Looking forward, President Obama and Prime Minister Singh recognized that increased cooperation in these
areas will strengthen the United States-India strategic partnership, highlighting shared democratic values and the
capabilities the United States and India have to work together across Asia and around the globe. The two
countries have crossed a threshold in their relations where both recognize that successes at home and abroad are
further advanced by their cooperation.
Today's meeting demonstrates that the interests of the United States and India continue to converge, and this
partnership will indeed be a defining one for the 21st century.
Office of White House Press Secretary, 202-456-2100
Document WHPR000020130929e99r00001

India-China naval exercise off Australian coast
301 words
2 October 2013
Deccan Herald
DECHER
English
Copyright 2013. The Printers (Mysore) Private Ltd.
Kalyan Ray, New Delhi, Oct 1, 2013, DHNS:
In a first, two warships from India and China are participating in an exercise off the Australian coast on the
measures needed by the two navies to protect international sea lanes.
Stealth frigate INS Sahyadri and People's Liberation Army's Luhu-class naval destroyers Qingdao, are
participating in the maritime security field training exercise underway since Monday at Jervis Bay on the south
coast of New South Wales. The exercise focuses on maritime security, including anti-piracy drills and checking
illegal immigration.
Though naval ships from India and China were making port calls in the past, this is the first time the two navies
are meeting in the Indian Ocean for an exercise, said a navy officer.
The exercise, however, is not bilateral. Several warships from Asean nations are also taking part in this multi-
country field training programme.
Besides India and China, battleships from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Australia too are participating in
the programme till October 2.
Subsequently all the ships would participate in an international fleet review between October 4 and 11, organised
by the Royal Australian Navy on its 150th anniversary.
Even though India and China are not on the same page on navigational rights in the South China Sea, the two
navies agreed to increase ship visits, conducting joint maritime search and rescue exercises and cooperate in
counter-piracy operations.
Participation of the Indian warship in Australian fleet review is one of the steps New Delhi is taking to
consolidate its friendship with Canberra in strategic affairs. New Delhi will take part in the centenary
celebrations of Gallipoli campaign - the first major battle for Australia and New Zealand - in 2015. There will
also be a bilateral naval exercise in 2015.
Document DECHER0020131001e9a2000p2

NASIONAL
18 NEGARA IKUTI LATIHAN BERSAMA PENANGGULANGAN BENCANA
413 words
13 November 2013
Antara
ANTAID
Bahasa Indonesia
Copyright 2013. LKBN Antara
Oleh Syaiful Hakim
Jakarta, 13/11 (Antara) - TNI Angkatan Laut (AL) akan menyelenggarakan latihan bersama `Multilateral Naval
Exercise Komodo 2014` yang diikuti 18 negara ASEAN dan negara diluar ASEAN, pada April 2014.
"Belasan negara telah konfirmasi dengan mengikutsertakan alutsista kapal perangnya, kecuali Laos," kata Kepala
Staf TNI Angkatan Laut (KSAL) Laksamana TNI Marsetio usai membuka Mid Planning Conference (MPC)
`Multilateral Naval Exercise Komodo 2014`, di Jakarta, Rabu.
MPC Komodo Multilateral Naval Exercise 2014 berlangsung selama dua hari (13-14 november 2013) yang
diikuti perwakilan angkatan laut 18 negara peserta Komodo Multilateral Exercise 2014.
Menurut KSAL, latihan bersama yang diikuti 10 negara ASEAN dan 8 negara diluar ASEAN itu bukan
merupakan latihan perang (non-war fight exercise), namun difokuskan pada latihan penanggulangan bencana
alam dan kemanusiaan.
"Laos tidak ikut dalam latihan bersama itu karena `landlock`, tapi mereka kirim delegasi," katanya.
Kehadiran negara di kawasan diharapkan bisa beri dampak penting keamanan di kawasan. Latihan ini dibuka 29
Maret 2014 sampai 3 April 2014. Latihan itu dimulai latihan mendarat di dermaga di Batam.
Ada tiga tahapan latihan, yakni Initial Planing Conference (IPC) yang sudah digelar pada Agustus 2013 lalu,
kemudian MPC. Finalnya mengecek kesiapan delegasi, kesiapan kapalnya, kesiapan logistiknya, akan dilakukan
Januari 2014, kata KSAL.
"Diharapkan bisa jadi konsep latihan bersama yang bagus di kawasan. Latihan ini dilakukan tiap dua tahunan,"
ujarnya.
Jumlah pasukan yang diterjunkan, tambah KSAL, sebanyak
4.300 personil dan ratusan personil tenaga pendukung dari lembaga terkait yang memiliki fuungsi penegakan di
laut.
"Ada Bakorkamla, kepolisian, bea cukai, termasuk Pemprov Riau, Kabupaten Anambas, Kabupaten Natuna,
PMI, Basarnas dan BNPB," katanya.
Ia mengaku tidak khawatir akan terjadi pamer alutsista karena latihannya bertema non-war, jadi semua negara
konsennya mengatasi bencana, seperti tsunami dan gempa.
"Jadi ini latihan bagaimana prosedurnya memberi bantuan," katanya.
Kepala Dinas Penerangn TNI AL (Kadispenal) Laksamana Pertama TNI Untung Suropati, mengatakan, latihan
akan digelar di perairan Indonesia di Laut Natuna dan Anambas.
TNI AL sendiri mengikutsertakan 16 KRI yang terdiri 2 Van Speijk, 2 Sigma, 2 LPD, 3 ATF, 2 PK, dan satu LST,

sedangkan alutsista pesawat udara TNI AL menyertakan enam pesawat udara yang terdiri dari dua unit `fixed
wing` dan empat `rotary wing` (helikopter).
Sejumlah negara yang telah konfirmasi mengikuti komodo multilateral itu, antara lain, Indonesia, Malaysia,
Singapura, Brunei Darussalam, Thailand, Filipina, Vietnam, Kamboja, Myanmar, Laos serta India, Jepang,
Korsel, Australia, New Zealand, Amerika, China dan Rusia.
(T.S037/B/R. Malaha/C/R. Malaha) 13-11-2013 11:33:00
Document ANTAID0020131113e9bd00234

General News
Indonesia: Eighteen navies expected to join naval exercise in Indonesia
158 words
9 January 2014
Thai News Service
THAINS
English
(c) 2014 Thai News Service
Section: General News - At least 40 military vessels from 18 countries will join a multilateral naval exercise
(MNE) in April in the Indonesian coastal regions of Batam, Natuna and Anambas.
The MNE, namely Komodo 2014 was an idea of Indonesia and the United States to establish a joint exercise
between the navies of ASEAN member countries and their eight dialogue partners.
Indonesia will deploy 5,000 soldiers and 12 naval vessels to join the MNE Komodo 2014, according to First
Amidral Agus Heyana, commander of Navy Base 4 in Tanjungpinang.
The naval exercise would not only improve mutual understanding and capacity of cooperation between ASEAN
countries and its eight partners, but also increase economic conditions to the local people, Agus added.
ASEAN+8 includes ASEAN member countries in addition to the US, the Republic of Korea, Australia, Russia,
China, India, New Zealand and Japan.-VNA
Document THAINS0020140109ea1900019

BRP Gregorio Del Pilar to participate in 'KOMODO 2014'
280 words
20 March 2014
PHILNA
English
(c) 2014 Philippines News Agency
MANILA, March 20 -- The BRP Gregorio Del Pilar (PF-15), one of the country's most modern warship, will be
participating in this year's "KOMODO 2014" which will be hosted by Indonesia from March 28 to April 3.
Her send'off ceremony will be conducted in Subic, Zambales on March 22 with Philippine Fleet commander
Rear Admiral Jaime S. Bernardino as the keynote speaker.
It will be the first time the BRP Gregorio Del Pilar will be participating in such event.
She is commanded by Cmdr. Joe Anthony C. Orbe and will have on board 46 officers and 114 enlisted personnel.
On their return trip, they will have a port visit to Brunei Darussalam from April 5 to 8.
Sixteen nations, including the Philippines, will be participating in this multi-lateral naval exercise.
Lt. Cmdr. Gregory Fabic, Philippine Navy (PN) spokesperson, said that naval units attending are from the
Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and ASEAN Plus navies.
"KOMODO 2014" seeks to promote naval diplomacy, camaraderie and foster goodwill among ASEAN and
ASEAN Plus navies.
Fabic said the theme for "KOMODO 2014" is 'Cooperation for Stability' which aims to enhance regional and
international capabilities in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) operations among ASEAN and
ASEAN Plus Navies.
This year, the Indonesian Navy will host the event with the harbor phase, sea phase and civil-military operations
phase to be conducted in Indonesia's area of operations.
Published by HT Syndication with permission from Philippines News Agency.
Document PHILNA0020140320ea3k0002v

Asia-Pacific nations to focus on navies
492 words
21 March 2014
The Jakarta Post
JKPOST
2
English
(c) 2014 The Jakarta Post
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Asia-Pacific nations called for increased maritime capabilities to maintain regional stability at the fourth Jakarta
International Defense Dialogue (JIDD) on Thursday.
At the fourth dialogue session, themed "Modernizing and Stabilizing Maritime Forces", Indonesian Navy chief
of staff Admiral Marsetio said that there had been concerns over whether maritime modernization would lead to
a naval arms race in Southeast Asia.
"Maritime security is of interest to all countries in the region," he told the panel.
Marsetio also said that Indonesia's marine forces were currently undergoing modernization, which involved
building up Indonesia's hard power. This includes procuring new weapons systems and developing infrastructure.
Indonesia recently procured new hardware, including four Diponegoro-class SIGMA corvettes, four Makassar-
class landing platform docks (LPDs), four 40-meter Clurit-class fast missile boats (KCR-40s) and two 43-meter
fast patrol boats (PC-43).
Marsetio denied that the modernization of the Indonesian Navy was aimed at increasing offensive power. He
added that Indonesia had realized that it needed to increase its maritime capabilities and multilateral ties within
the region in the face of many non-traditional threats.
"There is not one country that wants to go to war. If we love peace, then we must be prepared to go to war," he
told The Jakarta Post.
Indonesia currently carries out regular joint patrols with Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia in the Malacca
Straits. Indonesia will also host the Multilateral Naval Exercise Komodo 2014 from March 28 until April 5,
which will focus on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
"We have invited all ASEAN member states and eight other countries, namely the US, South Korea, Australia,
Russia, China, India, New Zealand and Japan, to attend," Marsetio said, adding that he hoped activities would
decrease the potential of a security dilemma.
However, Marsetio acknowledged that there were still doubts over other nations' maritime activities, further
emphasizing the need for transparency and communication.
During the session, Rear Admiral Samuel Perez Jr. of the US Department of State's Bureau of Political-Military
Affairs, said that he believed the US Navy's modernization efforts to boost capabilities and develop more
collaborative partnerships had also alleviated traditional conflicts in the region.
One example he cited was the territorial dispute in the South China Sea (SCS).
The ongoing SCS dispute has been a cause for concern for several nations in the Asia-Pacific region. The dispute
involves China, Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam. The US, which is now
casting its eyes on Asia, has also joined the fray to counter China's power by asking Beijing to clarify its "nine-
dash line", which outlines its claims in the SCS.

"The opportunity to decrease tensions and increase trust is never more open than today," he said.
He added that by procuring more partnerships, nations could build common strategies that involved the freedom
of navigation, especially in contested waters. (fss)
Document JKPOST0020140404ea3l0008h

Indonesia hosts international military exercise in South China Sea
716 words
31 March 2014
15:35
BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific
BBCAPP
English
(c) 2014 The British Broadcasting Corporation. All Rights Reserved. No material may be reproduced except with
the express permission of The British Broadcasting Corporation.
Text of report by Indonesian newspaper The Jakarta Post website on 30 March
Indonesia was preparing a standard operating procedures (SOP) draft for disaster relief activities carried out by
the military that would be proposed to become the SOP for ASEAN militaries in carrying out disaster relief
activities, a senior minister said on Saturday afternoon.
Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Minister Djoko Suyanto said the SOP draft was near completion and
was being field tested at the 2014 Multilateral Naval Exercise Komodo (MNEK) currently underway in the
waters of the Anambas Islands, Batam and Natuna in Riau Islands province.
"After being evaluated, the Indonesian Navy will submit the SOP draft to the Indonesian Military [TNI] chief
because it will also involve the Indonesian Army and Air Force," Djoko said after officially opening the exercise
at the Swiss Bel Harbour Bay hotel.
"The TNI chief will then submit the SOP draft to the defense minister to be discussed at the ASEAN Defense
Minister Meeting [ADMM]."
He said it would be good for ASEAN to have such a protocol both internally and multinationally.
Djoko said the multilateral naval exercise gave Indonesia the opportunity to interact with various navies from
around the world, with the main objective of improving humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
"Many countries are interested in taking part, including Russia and the United States. They are interested
because it is not really a political or security-related event," he said.
"All efforts are channelled through humanitarian assistance. If we keep fostering such humanitarian operations,
then we can have more cooperation in the future."
Also attending the opening ceremony were Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro, National Police chief Gen.
Sutarman, US Ambassador to Indonesia Robert O'Blake, Indian Ambassador Gurjit Singh, Vietnamese
Ambassador Nguyen Xuan Thuy and naval chiefs from Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia.
Indonesian Navy chief of staff Adm. Marsetio said that the exercise was a non-war exercise initiated by
Indonesia for the first time.
"Participants have come not only from ASEAN member countries but other countries are here also," he said.
Marsetio said that 40 warships will set sail to three destinations in Jemaja, Anambas and Natun, where there will
be a simulation of a natural disaster and an oil spill from off-shore rigs.
Some 28 warships with almost 4,500 personnel from 17 countries will take part in the exercise.
The participants are 10 ASEAN member countries and their partners, China, Japan, India, New Zealand, Russia,
South Korea and the US.

During the opening ceremony, navy personnel from both Russia and the US were seen mingling with those from
other countries, while there were no apparent tensions related to the Crimean issue.
Exercise training director Commodore Amrullah Octavian told The Jakarta Post that while both countries did
differ on the Crimean issue, the differences were set aside during the Komodo exercise.
"There is no American resistance with regard to Russia's participation in the exercise because the exercise was
planned a year-and-a-half ago while the Crimean issue emerged only last month," he said.
The Indonesian Navy Information Office asked journalists covering the exercise not to interview participants and
ask questions unrelated to the exercise. Journalists were only allowed to interview officers from the Indonesian
Navy.
Separately, the United States Embassy in Jakarta expressed its concern over Russia's participation in the exercise.
"The US congratulates Indonesia on hosting its largest-ever multinational naval exercise with 12 participating
nations and 6 observers. Exercise Komodo marks an important effort to coordinate multilateral disaster response
capabilities in the world's most disaster-prone region," US Embassy press attache Troy Pederson said Saturday in
an email sent to the Post.
"The US appreciated Foreign Minister Natalegawa's public comments in support of Ukraine's territorial integrity
and sovereignty and its vote in favor of the UNGA resolution condemning Russia's actions in Ukraine.
"Since the United States has suspended routine military activities with Russia, we expressed our concerns about
Russia's military participation in exercise Komodo.
"Indonesia explained this is a strictly humanitarian exercise. We also note that a lower level Russian commander
led Russia's participation than the three star who was expected."
Source: The Jakarta Post website, Jakarta, in English 30 Mar 14
Document BBCAPP0020140331ea3v0008d

Indonesia: 2016 Komodo exercise to focus on maritime peace
175 words
4 April 2014
VIETNA
English
Jakarta, April 4 (VNA)? Following the successful Multilateral Naval Exercise Komodo (MNEK) this year, the
Indonesian Navy will hold a similar event in 2016.
According to MNEK training director Commodore Amarullah Octavian, the second event will give priority to
maritime peace-keeping operations under the United Nations? flag.
The 2014 Komodo officially wrapped up on April 3 in Riau Island province.
As the host of the event, the Indonesian Navy fielded its biggest force, with 4,800 personnel and 27 ships, while
foreign participants sent a total of 1,500 personnel.
Initiated by Indonesia and the US, the MNEK was to enhance the cooperation in performing humanitarian
assistance activities and disaster relief work between naval forces of ASEAN member countries and their eight
dialogue partners (ASEAN+8) of the US, Russia, India, Australia, New Zealand, China, the Republic of Korea,
and Japan.
Besides ASEAN and ASEAN8+ countries, the six-day exercise also saw the participation of observers from the
UN and the European Union./.
Document VIETNA0020140404ea44001md

Opinions and Editorials
Editorial: PH, US holding naval exercise near Scarborough Shoal
427 words
23 June 2014
Manila Bulletin
MABULL
English
(c) 2014 Manila Bulletin Publishing Corp. All rights reserved.
There are two hotspots in the world today and the United States is deeply involved in both of them - Iraq, where
the government set up after US forces did away with Saddam Hussein is threatened by invaders from the north,
and the South China and East China Seas where China is involved in territorial disputes with neighboring
nations, notably the Philippines, Vietnam, and Japan.
US President Barack Obama the other day pledged to take “precise” military action if necessary to stop the
Sunni forces that swept out of Syria in the north towards the capital city of Baghdad , threatening the Shiite-
dominated central government of Iraq . But far from reassuring the Iraqi government, Obama is sending only a
number of Green Berets and other special forces, along with the deployment of an aircraft carrier in the Persian
Gulf and is considering the use of drone strikes against the invading forces. The US has just sent home the
combat troops that have long occupied Iraq and is not about to bring them back. It appears Iraq is largely on
its own.
Meanwhile, in the South China Sea, near Scarborough Shoal, which we call Bajo de Masinloc near Zambales
province, Philippine and American troops will hold naval exercises later this month. A US guided missile
destroyer is joining two Philippine warships for the drills, officially announced as intended to strengthen the
capabilities of the two forces in amphibious and special operations along with information sharing.
Last April, during his state visit to the Philippines, President Obama declared his country has an “iron-clad
commitment” to defend the Philippines. While this was reassuring to some people, it must be taken in the light
of the fact that it does not cover the ongoing territorial dispute over shoals and reefs in the South China Sea. And
the US has already declared it is not taking sides in the disputes and is asking both sides to avoid any action that
may add fuel to them.
This is sound advice to all concerned. We have already filed our case with the Arbitral Tribunal in the Hague for
a ruling on our claims in the South China, which we now call West Philippine Sea. We have also called, along
with our fellow ASEAN nations, for the early drawing up of a Code of Conduct in the disputed area. We hope
the naval exercise which we will be holding this month with the US will not be mistaken as a threat to anyone.
Document MABULL0020140622ea6n0002t

INTERNATIONAL
Japan to participate in Malabar exercise with India and US
467 words
18 July 2014
Press Trust of India
PRTRIN
English
Copyright 2014. The Press Trust of India Limited.
From Lalit K Jha
Washington, Jul 18 (PTI) In an effort to strengthen the tri-lateral cooperation, Japan will participate in this year's
Malabar naval exercise to be held at the end of this month, with India and the US.
"Japan will participate in MALABAR this year which is our largest bilateral naval exercise with India and it's
scheduled to take place at the end of this month," Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast
Asia Amy Searight told lawmakers during a Congressional hearing on yesterday.
The Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Nisha Desai Biswal said there is strong trilateral
partnership between the three countries.
"We were about to hold the fifth iteration of the US-India-Japan trilat earlier this summer. We have had to
reschedule that but we have seen a tremendous growth in the amount of collaboration that we're able to have, not
only in terms of sharing of intelligence and analysis but also looking at active areas of cooperation," she said.
The Malabar series has historically been an Indo-US affair, but its scope has widened with Japan being invited
for the annual naval engagement.
"We will be doing joint exercises with Japan and India in the MALABAR exercises later this fall. And we see
opportunities for increasing the collaboration across Southeast Asia. We are engaging more frequently in
consultations and dialogue with the Indians on ASEAN and look forward to increased and frequent consultations
across the East Asia sphere," Biswal said while replying to a question from Senator John McCain.
Lisa Curtis of The Heritage Foundation said there's a realm opportunity to build the US-India-Japan trilateral
cooperation.
In the past few years India has focused increasingly on buttressing security ties with Japan, South Korea, and
Vietnam to meet the challenges of a rapidly rising China, she said.
"Indo-Japanese ties, in particular, are expected to get a major boost under Modi's administration since Modi and
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are both increasingly concerned about China and appear prepared to take
new policy directions to deal with the challenges posed by Beijing's rapid military and economic ascendance,"
Curtis said.
Both the heads of state, Shinzo Abe and Narendra Modi have developed a close personal rapport, she said.
"As Chief Minister, Modi traveled to Japan in 2007, marking the first time an Indian Chief Minister had travelled
to the country. Modi was one of the first foreign dignitaries to congratulate Abe when he was re-elected in 2012.
The recent postponement of Modi's visit to Japan is all the more perplexing, given the history of the personal
relationship between Abe and Modi," she added. PTI LKJ DBS
Document PRTRIN0020140718ea7i000jh

Modi's new ocean politics: Gluing security and the blue economy
1,207 words
31 March 2015
The Jakarta Post
JKPOST
6
English
Ashok B. Sharma, New Delhi
India, of late, has woken up to realize the importance of oceans, more particularly the one in its backyard. Better
late than never, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made a humble beginning for integrating with countries in
the Indian Ocean rim.
While security in the region remains a major concern, another recipe for integration is the call for cooperation in
the development of a blue economy.
Modi, in his recent visit to Seychelles, Mauritius and Sri Lanka, urged for cooperation in blue economy, which is
a multi-disciplinary approach for the exploitation of hydrocarbons and other marine resources; deep-sea fishing,
preservation of marine ecology, mitigating climate change by addressing environmental issues and disaster
management.
With its advancement in science and technology, India is in a position to lend expertise in deep sea bed activities,
hydrographic surveys and weather predictions. India has a long record of hydrographic surveys of Seychelles
and Mauritius.
The agenda for combating climate change and the stress on renewable sources of energy are likely to gain
support from many small island economies and littoral states.
The Indian Ocean region is strategically important as a vital sea lane of communication passes through it -- from
the Hormuz Strait to the Suez Canal, Red Sea, Persian Gulf and Malacca Strait and South China Sea.
These critical trade routes support almost two-thirds of the global energy trade, half of the world's containerized
cargo and a third of global bulk cargo.
Security is, therefore, an important aspect. Maritime piracy, threats of terrorist attacks, possible attacks by
private mercenaries and money laundering are the issues that need to be dealt within cooperation.
Launching of the coastal surveillance radar project, assurances for providing another Dornier aircraft,
agreements on hydrographic survey and development of infrastructure on Assumption Island and other
development assistance are the recent initiation of hydro-politics with Seychelles.
Modi, in his recent visit to Mauritius, gave similar gestures through the joint commissioning of an offshore patrol
vessel (a Barracuda built with Indian assistance) an agreement to develop Agalega Island and a memorandum of
understanding (MoU) on ocean economy, along with other development assistance. He invited both Seychelles
and Mauritius to join the India-Maldives-Sri Lanka trilateral naval exercise.
Are these two countries prepared to join the trilateral? Of course, Modi could not schedule his visit
to the Maldives owing to internal political problems leading to the arrest of it former president, Mohammad
Nasheed.
However, India-Maldives relations have not reached a level of embitterment that should cause concern. But New
Delhi should be cautious in its approach.

After Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena assumed office, there have been new hopes for better relations
with India. New Delhi wants to give some more time to Sirisena to resolve the Tamil issue and problems relating
to Indian fishermen that were aggravated after the accords signed in 1974 and 1976 leading to the loss of
territorial waters and Kachatheevu Island to India.
The setting up of a joint task force on ocean economy, apart from other development cooperation and assistance,
is among the gestures New Delhi extended to its immediate island neighbor for cooperation in the Indian Ocean
rim.
Thus, Modi has ventured to initiate a new hydro-politics in the Indian Ocean. He expressed his intention to rope
in more countries in the region as partners in the existing India-Maldives-Sri Lanka trilateral.
But the umbrella multilateral forum, the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), needs revitalization to attain is
desired vigor.
The IORA, set up in 1997 and based on open regionalism, has only 20 member states.
There is a need for all countries in the rim to become members. Even Egypt, situated on the banks of the Suez
Canal, is not a member, but an observer.
Comparatively, the other voluntary organization, the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), was launched in
2008 and has 35 member states. Of those countries who are members of IONS, 13 are also members of IORA.
Pakistan, which is a member of IONS, is not a member of IORA.
There is a need to include all members of IONS as members of IORA, and Egypt, which is a member of IONS,
should be co-opted as member of IORA.
There should also be absolute synergy between IORA and IONS. IORA should be raised to the level of summit-
level talks.
India, being a major littoral state in the Indian Ocean, needs to take additional initiative.
Under the banner of IORA, India hosted the first Indian Ocean Dialogue in 2014 in Kochi. The key take-away
from this dialogue was as follows: "IORA members should address security issues themselves rather than relying
on international forces."
This should be the real intention of IORA and it should maintain its own centrality as ASEAN does in the
Pacific.
Only a strong centrality and solidarity for IORA can prevent any possibility of poaching by external powers.
Already there are attempts by China to extend its "String of Pearls" in the Indian Ocean.
China's game plan for using the warm waters of the Indian Ocean can be seen through its proposal for the
Maritime Silk Route, the One Belt-One Road and the BCIM Corridor.
Apart from the US "pivot" to Asia-Pacific, there is also the Chinese "pivot" and the Russian "pivot". With a view
to foiling the negotiations for RCEP proposed by ASEAN and others, the US has come up with the Trans Pacific
Partnership.
Similarly, China has proposed the Asia-Pacific FTA and has set up an Asia Infrastructure Development Bank.
Russia, meanwhile, has floated ideas for a separate security architecture.
All these attempts by extra-territorial powers may have an impact upon ASEAN, which hopes to move toward
an economic community by January 2016 and subsequently, the ASEAN Political Security Community and
ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community. Centrality of ASEAN in the Asia-Pacific is in the best interest of the region
and India should continue supporting it.
The Indian Ocean is a viable link to the Pacific and efforts should be made to strengthen the IORA and IONS.
India on its own also needs to take initiative on security issues as enshrined in the Indian Maritime Doctrine

2009 and Maritime Strategy 2007.
The secondary areas of security concerns are the southern Indian Ocean, the Red Sea and Western Pacific. It is
evident that India's maritime interests encompass maritime areas in Asia, East Africa and Australia.
The Maritime Doctrine has, however, left out the South Atlantic Ocean, which can be a matter of interest in
India's relationships with South American and Caribbean countries and ensure further South-South cooperation.
A wake-up call for India to strengthen its Navy came after the Nov. 26 terrorist attack in Mumbai in 2008.
Modi has initiated a new process of multilateralism in ocean politics by gluing together security and the blue
economy. The action on the ground remains to be seen.
___________________
[...] another recipe for integration is the call for cooperation in the development of a blue economy.
_______________________
The writer is a senior columnist writing on strategic and policy issues in several Indian and international
newspapers and magazines.
Document JKPOST0020150331eb3v0000o

Transcript of Keynote Speech by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at Shangri-La Dialogue on May 29
4,611 words
29 May 2015
Singapore Government News
ATGVSG
English
May 29 -- Dr John Chipman, Director-General and Chief Executive, IISS
Your Excellencies
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen
Welcome to the Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD) and to Singapore. This is a significant year for Singapore. 2015
marks our 50th anniversary as a nation. When we separated from Malaysia in 1965, it was a completely different
world and a completely different Singapore. This is also the 14th year of the Shangri-La Dialogue. The first
Dialogue was held in 2002, not long after 9/11. So this year is a good time to take a step back, and take a longer-
term look at what has changed in the past 50 years and since the SLD began.
Balance of Power
In every Shangri-La Dialogue, three issues are always on the agenda: the balance of power; regional cooperation;
and terrorism. I propose to speak about these three subjects tonight, beginning with the balance of power.
50 years ago, in 1965, it was the height of the Cold War. The two major camps in the world, led by the US and
the Soviet Union, defined the global strategic landscape. There were non-aligned countries, like India and
Indonesia, but these two main opposing camps faced off against each other worldwide. In Asia, the conflict
manifested itself in the Vietnam War and the tensions and the frozen conflict in the Korean Peninsula.
China then was not a major influence in the region or the world. It was a poor, backward country. Its foreign
trade was negligible. China would soon be engulfed in the Cultural Revolution and turn completely inwards.
Many Southeast Asian countries saw China as a security threat, because it supported insurgent communist
movements in their countries that sought to overthrow governments by armed force.
Japan was an important partner of the US, with the US-Japan Security Alliance. Japan was not an independent
player in security terms, because of the history of the War. It was, however, a major economic power, enjoying
rapid economic growth from the 1960s all the way to the 1980s. Its dynamic economy energised the whole
region, and especially helped the "flying geese" of the Newly Industrialising Economies (NIEs) - South Korea,
Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore - to also take flight and take off.
Today, it is a different strategic landscape. The Cold War is long over. The Soviet Union has dissolved. Russia
continues to participate in this region, but its focus is in Europe and its "Near Abroad", which means Central
Asia - Eurasia. The key players in Asia are the US and China.
The US remains the dominant Pacific power. The Pacific Command and the US 7th Fleet are a powerful force in
being, and a key factor for peace and stability in the region. America's core interest in Asia has not changed and
that is a stable region that is open to do business with all countries and a regional order that enables all major
powers to engage constructively in Asia. America has played this benign role in Asia since the War. Its presence
is welcomed by the many regional countries which have benefited from it, including Singapore.
US interests in the region have grown with the growing weight of Asia in the world economy. The US has many
preoccupations worldwide, not least Iran, the Middle East, Europe and Ukraine. But President Obama has
reaffirmed that America is and always will be a Pacific Power and the Obama Administration has articulated a
strategic "rebalance" towards Asia. Recently, US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter reaffirmed this, just before he
visited Japan and Korea and he is here to affirm this by his presence this evening.

But the strategic balance in Asia is shifting. China has become the second biggest economy in the world. It is
now the largest or the second largest trading partner of nearly every country in the Asia-Pacific - South Korea,
Japan, Australia, including Singapore, and even the US. China's interdependence with the external world has
grown, whether for resources, markets, technology, or investments. So has its interest in making friends and
influencing outcomes, and so has its skill in doing so.
Meanwhile, China is building up and modernising its armed forces. President Xi Jinping has declared that China
will be a maritime power. It already has one aircraft carrier and is building a second one. Last week China
concluded its first-ever joint naval exercise with the Russians and in the Mediterranean Sea.
So far China's rise has been peaceful, within the established international order. The key to this peaceful rise
continuing is the US-China relationship.
The US-China relationship is fundamentally different from the US-Soviet relationship of old. It is not a zero-sum
game. There are elements of competition, but many interdependencies and opportunities for mutual benefit.
China is America's second biggest trading partner. The biggest is Canada, and it is America's largest foreign
creditor. It owns lots of US treasury securities. America is a source of technology and ideas for China. Many
many promising young Chinese study in the US, one-quarter million of them, including many children of the
elite. Each needs the other's cooperation to tackle global problems, whether this is nuclear proliferation or global
warming.
All Asian countries hope that US-China relations will be positive. No country wants to choose sides between the
US and China. We are glad that successive US Administrations and successive Chinese leaderships have
engaged, worked together and managed the problems that have come up between them, despite nationalistic
pressures on both sides and inevitable tensions from time to time.
So when both the US and China say that the broad Pacific Ocean is "vast enough" to embrace both China and the
United States, we read that as a good sign. Provided, by "vast enough", they mean that there is space all over the
Asia-Pacific region for both powers to participate and compete peacefully, and to work out problems
constructively, without raising tensions, and provided, they do not mean "vast enough" to divide up the Pacific
Ocean between the two, each with its own sphere of influence, circumscribing options for other countries, and
increasing the risk of rivalry and conflict between two power blocs.
Realistically speaking, however, competition between major powers is unavoidable. The question is what form
this competition will take.
One model of competition is where major powers strengthen their influence within a set of international rules
and norms. We can see this in how China is actively deepening its cooperation and making friends all over Asia,
through the 2+7 cooperation framework which they designed with ASEAN, through the One Road One Belt, and
the Maritime Silk Road initiatives which they are promoting with all of their neighbours, land as well as sea.
One of China's major projects is the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). The AIIB will enhance
China's influence in the world, but it also meets a real and urgent need for infrastructure development and capital
in the region. And it is a way China can participate constructively in the international order together with other
countries, partners in the AIIB. This is similar to how the Americans and Europeans influence the IMF and
World Bank, and how Japan plays a major role in the Asian Development Bank (ADB). It is legitimate, it is
constructive, and that is why Singapore gave its support very early to the AIIB idea, and why many countries
have since welcomed it and joined as Prospective Founding Members (PFMs), not only Asian countries, but also
Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Australia and others, considering.
Similarly, the US is giving substance to its rebalancing towards Asia by increasing its engagement. One major
initiative is the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). President Obama has personally pushed the TPP hard with the
negotiating partners. Every time we meet him for APEC meetings, he has a side meeting and we discuss the TPP.
The Administration needs to obtain Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) from Congress, before we can settle this
matter, because without TPA no country will close their TPP negotiations with the US. A TPA Bill has now
passed the Senate, and is now before the House. Obtaining congressional approval for trade negotiating authority
is always a messy and mysterious process, so all the TPP partners are watching this closely and we are praying
that Congress passes TPA legislation, in a satisfactory form and in good time.
I hope the American legislators and public realise how big the stakes are in the TPP, not just for Asia but for the

US itself too. Because whatever the merits or demerits of individual line items of trade covered in the TPP, the
agreement has a wider strategic significance. Getting the TPP done will deepen links on both sides of the Pacific.
Failing to get the TPP done will hurt the credibility and standing of the US not just in Asia, but worldwide.
There is clearly a competitive dynamic here. It is an open secret that the US had reservations about the AIIB and
discouraged its friends from participating. And on the TPP, some observers believe that the rules are being
crafted to raise the hurdle for China to join. I am quite sure that is not the thinking of all TPP members, although
China, as a matter of fact, is not yet ready to join the TPP. Speaking as an Asian country and a participant in both
the AIIB and the TPP, Singapore hopes that eventually China will join the TPP, and the US and Japan will join
the AIIB.
That is one model of cooperation and competition. But there is another model of competition, where win-win
arrangements are harder to reach, and unhappy outcomes tougher to avoid. Take the territorial and maritime
disputes in the East China Sea and South China Sea. These disputes have heated up significantly in recent years.
There is daily buzzing of ships and aircraft around the Senkaku/Diaoyudao islands, and the testing of boundaries
by China and Japan. In the South China Sea, claimant states are taking unilateral actions in the disputed areas,
drilling for oil and gas, reclaiming land, setting up outposts, and reinforcing their military presence.
Actions provoke reactions. The US is responding to Chinese activities with increased over-flights and sailings
near the disputed territories, to signal that it will not accept unilateral assertions of sovereignty in the South
China Sea. Each country feels compelled to react to what others have done, in order to protect its own interests.
Non-claimant countries cannot take sides on the merits of the rival claims. But they do have a stake in the
maritime disputes, and in particular a stake in how they are handled. Because every Asian country stands to lose
if regional security and stability are threatened. Major sea and air lines of communications pass through the
South China Sea. Every state whose trade passes through the South China Sea, or whose ships and aircraft use
the South China Sea, every such State has an interest in freedom of navigation and over-flight. This includes
Singapore, for whom the South China Sea is a vital life line.
No country can renounce its claims, or sometimes can even concede that a dispute exists over its claims, without
paying a high political cost. But the consequence of this difficulty is that all sides harden their positions, and
disputes become more difficult to disentangle. These maritime disputes are most unlikely to be solved anytime
soon, and most likely will outlive the Shangri-la Dialogue. But they can and they should be managed and
contained, because if the present dynamic continues, it must lead to more tensions and bad outcomes.
China and ASEAN should conclude a Code of Conduct on the South China Sea as soon as possible, so as to
break the vicious cycle and not let disputes sour the broader relationship. If all parties adhere to international
law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), that is the best outcome. On
the other hand, if a physical clash occurs, which escalates into a wider tension or conflict, either by design or
more likely by accident, that would be very bad. But even if we avoid a physical clash, if the outcome is
determined on the basis of might is right, that will set a bad precedent. It may not lead immediately to a hot
conflict, but it will be an unhappier and a less sustainable position. In the long run, a stable regional order cannot
be maintained just by superior force. It requires consent and legitimacy in the international community together
with the balance of power.
So far, I have spoken about US and China. But other countries, too, play a role in the regional power balance.
This year is the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII. The War continues to cast a shadow over relations between
the old adversaries, in particular between Japan and its neighbours, China and Korea. After 70 years, it is past the
time to put this history behind us properly, just like the Europeans have done. This requires statesmanship and
largeness of spirit on both sides.
Japan needs to acknowledge past wrongs, and Japanese public opinion needs to be more forthright in rejecting
the more outrageous interpretations of history by right-wing academics and politicians. Japan has already
expressed remorse or apologies for the war in general terms, including by Prime Minister Murayama, 20 years
ago, on the 50th anniversary. But on specific issues like comfort women and the Nanjing Massacre, its positions
have been less unequivocal.
At the same time, Japan's neighbours need to accept Japan's acknowledgements, and not demand that Japan
apologise over and over again. The history of the war should not be used to put Japan on the defensive, or to

perpetuate enmities to future generations. Only with largeness of heart can all sides move forward to reduce
distrust and build up cooperation.
Such a reconciliation will also help Japan to become a normal country as it wishes to be. The controversy over
history hinders Prime Minister Abe's desire to play a more active role in Asia. Japan has not joined the AIIB, but
recently announced a US$110 billion plan for public-private assistance for infrastructure development in Asia.
Most Southeast Asian countries want Japan to play a more active role, but they do not want to get embroiled in
rivalry between China and Japan. They will welcome a resolution of the war issues, as they themselves have
done between themselves and Japan.
There is also India, which is emerging as a major power in Asia. India can make a big contribution if it opens up
its economy, encourages foreign trade and investments, and participates actively in regional cooperation, for
example through the East Asia Summit (EAS) or through the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership
(RCEP), which it is party to. The Modi government has set a new tone in India, and the region looks forward to
deepening our partnership with India.
Regional Cooperation
The second regular issue at the Shangri-La Dialogue is regional cooperation and integration.
50 years ago, nobody thought in these terms. Decolonisation was just ending. New countries had very recently
been formed - including Malaysia and Singapore. Most countries' links were not within the region, but to
developed countries, particularly their former colonial masters, the metropolitan powers. Cooperation was on
security issues, along Cold War lines. The Korean peninsula was on the verge of war, with North Korea building
secret tunnels into the DMZ as their strategic weapon. Across the Taiwan Straits, China and Taiwan were in a
state of war, with artillery shelling on alternate days by each side between Kinmen and the mainland. In
Southeast Asia the Vietnam War was heating up, and Indonesia was waging Konfrontasi - a low intensity conflict
- against Malaysia. ASEAN had not been formed, indeed could hardly have been conceived, since Indochina was
in turmoil, and Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines were at odds with one another.
Today, the Korean peninsula is still a problem. But, cross-straits tensions have eased considerably. China has
become Taiwan's largest trading partner. One million Taiwanese live and work in China on the mainland. But
Taiwan still has to deal with the question of its identity and its long-term relationship with China. One stabilising
factor is that everyone now knows that Taiwan independence is out of the question and that rules out unwise
moves and unpredictable outcomes.
Intra-regional trade has grown. A lot of this is trade with China, but in fact, trade between Northeast Asia and
Southeast Asia has also grown. Over the last decade-plus, ASEAN-Japan trade has doubled, while ASEAN-
Korea trade has increased by five times.
So the region is coming closer together. In Southeast Asia, former adversaries have come together in ASEAN, to
deepen relationships and foster regional integration. ASEAN celebrates its 48th anniversary this year. We have a
broad and substantive agenda of dialogue and cooperation. We have a good track record of working together:
pursuing win-win opportunities and closer economic partnership, establishing the ASEAN Community by
December this year, and dealing with problems that affect the region, like trans-boundary haze pollution, or
natural disasters like typhoons or tsunamis.
The most recent humanitarian crisis is the human trafficking of Rohingyas and Bangladeshis, resulting in
thousands putting out to sea, suffering and dying, both from the terrible conditions but also through the ill
treatment by their traffickers and in fact sometimes, by their kidnappers. This has put huge stress on the
downstream countries Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. The solution requires a response at the source and not
just at sea. It also requires countries to act decisively against the traffickers, and put a stop to this organised
racket.
In the broader region, ASEAN has taken the lead to progressively build a framework of cooperation, engaging
South Asia and East Asia, Australia and New Zealand, and the wider Asia-Pacific. One important platform is the
ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), now in its 21st year, which promotes open dialogue on political and security
cooperation in the Asia-Pacific. It has fostered more predictable and constructive relations between neighbours
and even adversaries. The more recent forum, the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM-Plus), allows
the defence establishments of member countries to cooperate on defence and security matters, and to build

mutual trust and confidence.
The East Asia Summit (EAS), now in its 10th year, is also an ASEAN initiative. It fosters an open regional
architecture, because its membership includes not just East Asian countries but also India, Australia and New
Zealand, Russia and the US. With this broader membership, the EAS ties together the two sides of the Pacific
together and reduces the risk of an East Asian bloc forming, which might split the Pacific down the middle.
While regional cooperation has progressed, we have to keep working at it, because the progress will not continue
automatically. There are still frictions between countries to manage, and countries have other priorities than
regional cooperation. Some are responding to strong nationalist sentiments, and putting self-sufficiency ahead of
regional interdependence. Others are preoccupied with major domestic political developments or transitions,
making it hard for their governments to focus on regional initiatives. We have our work cut out for us to
cooperate more closely year by year.
Terrorism
The third regular issue at the Shangri-La Dialogue is terrorism. Terrorism is not an entirely new phenomenon
that burst on the world only after 9/11. 50 years ago, there were already terrorist groups in many stable societies,
including advanced countries. In Europe, there were extremists such as the Baader-Meinhof Group. In the US,
there were anarchist terrorists - small numbers, but they existed and they were violent. Japan had the Japanese
Red Army. Singapore had first-hand experience of them. In 1974, members of the Japanese Red Army and the
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) attacked the Shell oil refinery on Pulau Bukom, then held a
ferry boat and its crew hostage, and bargained for safe passage out of Singapore. These groups were politically
motivated, not religiously driven, and have largely faded away.
Now we are confronted with jihadist terrorism, religiously driven by a perverted version of Islam. When we first
started the Shangri-La Dialogue, 9/11 had just happened. Countries worried about further major attacks by jihadi
groups like Al Qaeda. Fortunately, there have been no further spectacular attacks like 9/11, although there have
been major incidents like the Bali bombing, and the London and Madrid train bombings, and more near-misses.
For the fact that it has not been worse, we have to credit effective actions and cooperation by many
Governments.
But the problem will be with us for a long time. Osama bin Laden may have been killed, but Al Qaeda still
exists, albeit in a weakened state. In many societies we are finding home-grown terrorists, self-radicalised
individuals who can mount attacks with minimal resources.
The latest virulent incarnation of the jihadi threat is ISIS. By skilfully exploiting the Internet and social media,
ISIS has attracted malcontents and misfits, misguided souls and naive youths from all over the world. More than
20,000 people have gone to Iraq and Syria from EU, US, and Asia to fight - for what? But they are there and one
day when they return home, they will bring the radical ideology, combat experience, and terrorist networks and
the technical know-how with them. ISIS supporters have carried out lone-wolf attacks in a number of countries,
including Canada, America, Australia and France, so far. Just two weeks ago, ISIS leader Abu Bakar al-Baghdadi
repeated his call for Muslims world-wide to either hijrah (migrate) to the Islamic State - it is what the Prophet
did between Mecca and Medina - so either you hijrah to ISIS or you wage violent war for ISIS in your home
countries.
Southeast Asia is a key recruitment centre for ISIS. More than 500 Indonesians have joined this terrorist group.
Dozens have gone from Malaysia. ISIS has so many Indonesian and Malaysian fighters that they form them into
a unit by themselves - the Katibah Nusantara (Malay Archipelago Combat Unit). Recently ISIS posted a
propaganda and recruitment video showing Malay-speaking children training with weapons in ISIS held
territory. Two Malaysians, including a 20 year old, were identified in another ISIS video of a beheading of a
Syrian man. The Malaysian police have arrested more people who were planning to go, including armed forces
personnel, plus groups which were plotting attacks in Malaysia. These individuals were going to Syria and Iraq
not just to fight, but to bring their families there, hijrah there, including young children, to live in what they
imagine, delusionally, is an ideal Islamic state under a caliph of the faithful.
Several radical groups in this region have pledged allegiance to ISIS. Some have links with the Jemaah
Islamiyah group, the group whose Singapore chapter had planned to set off truck bombs in Singapore, soon after
9/11. Last year the Jemaah Islamiyah's spiritual leader, Abu Bakar Bashir, pledged allegiance to ISIS, posing for
a photo surrounded by followers in white Arab robes. He was in a jail in Indonesia, but he was able to pledge

allegiance and have a group photograph and have it published around the world. Several hundred fellow
terrorists presently in jail in Indonesia are due to be released in the next two years.
ISIS has said it intends to establish a wilayat (province under ISIS' caliphate) in Southeast Asia. The idea that
ISIS can turn Southeast Asia into a wilayat, into a province of a worldwide Islamic caliphate controlled by ISIS -
that is a grandiose, pie-in-the-sky dream. But it is not so far-fetched that ISIS could establish a base somewhere
in the region, in a geographical area under its physical control like in Syria and Iraq, to have territory in
Southeast Asia, somewhere far from the centres of power of state governments, where the governments' writ
does not run. There are quite a few such places in Southeast Asia. If ISIS did that, it would pose quite a serious
threat to the whole of Southeast Asia.
Even in Singapore, where we have a peaceful, well-integrated Muslim population, some individuals have been
led astray. A few have gone to join ISIS and others have been intercepted and detained before they could leave.
We recently arrested a 17 year old student, and detained a 19 year old student who had been radicalised. The 19
year old was planning to join ISIS in Syria, and if he was unable to leave Singapore he intended to assassinate
government leaders here, including the President and for good measure, the Prime Minister.
This is why Singapore takes terrorism, and in particular ISIS, very very seriously. The threat is no longer over
there; it is over here. We are participating in the international coalition against ISIS, and we are contributing a
KC-135 tanker to the operation. In fact the tanker's deployment to the Middle East begins today.
The Next 50 Years
I have described how our region has changed in the last half century. 50 years ago, had we known that we would
be in this position today, we would have been more than satisfied. Asia is peaceful and prosperous. We have
successfully navigated a major transition out of the Cold War. A new international order is taking shape, not
without problems but basically stable.
50 years from now, I doubt the scourge of extremist terrorism will have entirely disappeared. After half a century
the jihadist ideology will surely have visibly failed, or at least weakened its hold on the imaginations of troubled
souls. But remember that Soviet Communism, which was another historical dead end, took 70 years to collapse,
and that was a non-religious ideology so these things take a long time.
On the broader issues, my optimistic hope is that a stable regional balance will continue to exist. ASEAN should
be an effective and relevant actor. The Indochinese countries should have narrowed the development gap, and the
grouping should have become more closely integrated and cohesive.
I expect that the US, China and Japan will remain major powers, and India will play an increasing role in the
region. I hope that we will continue to have an open global system of trade, investment and economic
cooperation, and certainly I hope there will be free trade in the Asia-Pacific instead of the current alphabet soup
of trading arrangements. It should not be a world where might is right, where the strong do what they will and
the weak suffer what they must. It should be a world where legitimacy and constructive engagement are the
international norm, and every country, big and small, can compete peacefully for the chance to prosper.
There is no roadmap to such a happy scenario. The future is not a straight line projection of the past. But if we
resist the temptation to be consumed by short-term issues, keep our focus on longer-term shared interests, and
continue striving for a peaceful, open and inclusive international order, then step-by-step we will build
confidence and trust, and maximise the chances that our next 50 years will be stable, prosperous, and an upward
path.
Source: Prime Minister's Office Singapore
Document ATGVSG0020150530eb5t00009

Joint PHL-US naval exercise begins in Palawan
Rene Acosta
475 words
18 June 2015
Business Mirror
ABUSMR
English
Copyright © 2015. Business Mirror
FILIPINO and American troops began the eight-day naval exercise in waters near the disputed territories in the
West Philippine Sea, amid heightening tension with China following the Chinese military's putting up of bouys
within the country's maritime waters.
The Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (Carat) has the Philippine Navy's two biggest and newest
vessels, the BRP Gregorio del Pilar and the BRP Ramon Alcaraz, working in tandem with the US Navy's littoral
combat ship, the USS Fort Worth, in the naval war games in Palawan.
The USS Forth Worth was the latest US littoral vessel of the US deployed in the Asia-Pacific region. It has an
unrivaled maritime military capabilities, including in antisubmarine warfare, and it came as the US had warned
China to stop from militarizing the South China Sea.
Lt. Liezel Vidallon, public-affairs officer of the Philippine fleet, said the Carat, which is an annual naval
exercise between the US and the Philippines, has nothing to do with the maritime row between China and the
country.
It is being held in waters outside the disputed territory, she said, although she admitted that the area was close to
the territory which China is claiming against the country.
The exercise came as the government prepares to remove the bouys which China has put within the oil-rich Reed
or Recto Bank, which is well within the country's exclusive economic zone, and the reported sightings of a
Chinese survey ship in the adjoining Amy Douglas Shoal.
Just last week, G-7 countries have asked China to stop its reclamation activities in the West Philippine Sea, a call
that was made earlier by US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, Japan, the Asean and even defense officials who
have attended the annual Shangri-La defense dialogue in Singapore.
Apparently feeling the pressure, China announced it will stop its development activity in some areas, a statement
that was dismissed by the Department of National Defense, especially that it was followed by the discovery of
markings in the Recto Bank.
Vidallon said that among the exercises that American and Filipino sailors would undertake are helicopter crash
and salvage, gunnery, deck-landing qualification, board and seizure, and on weapon systems, including firing a
missile.
The exercise aims to conduct combined naval operations in order to enhance interoperability between the
Philippine Navy and US naval forces. Furthermore, it will strengthen both navies' combined capabilities in
amphibious operations, special operations, surface warfare and modern naval warfare, she said.
It would also enhance information sharing.
Aside from the Carat, Japanese forces and Navy personnel are also poised to conduct a separate naval exercise
next week, also in Palawan, in a growing security cooperation between Japan and the Philippines. The exercise
will include a Japanese maritime-surveillance plane.

Document ABUSMR0020150619eb6i0000i

Indo-Japan-US naval exercise concludes: Ocean diplomacy
Pranav Kulkarni
502 words
19 October 2015
Indian Express
AIWINE
English
Copyright 2015 Indian Express Online Media Pvt. Ltd
The Indo-Japan-US trilateral exercise, Malabar in the Bay of Bengal, whichstarted on October 14 concluded on
Monday. Started in 1992, the originalbilateral Indo-US exercise is into its 19th version this year with
theadditional participation of the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Forces(JMSDF).
The Bay of Bengal- along the eastern seaboard- is important to India in thelight of its Look East Policy, which
has been tweaked by PM Modi as the ActEast Policy. In 2007, China protested against the Japanese participation
in
Malabar 2007. This was followed by the then UPA government limiting theexercise to just a bilateral one
between India and US. The JMSDFparticipation in the exercise in Bay of Bengal is thus a significantdiplomatic
decision for India for two reasons. On one hand, it underlinesthe importance Delhi imparts to ASEAN. On the
other, it sends out a strongsignal to China that India will independently pursue its foreign policy notwithstanding
interference from any other power.
On the face of it, the exercise focused on disaster prevention and relief,maritime safety and security in the Indo-
Pacific region. However, there ismore significance to Malabar 2015 than just the "military learning"- thanks
to the JMSDF participation. For the US, the exercise is a means tounderline the Indo-Japan-US trilateral
cooperation in the maritime domainin the light of its Pacific Rebalance.
While Beijing has kept a watchful eye on the activities in the Bay ofBengal over few days, the exercise also
assumes importance in the contextof deteriorated Sino-Japanese ties over Senkaku/ Diaoyu Islands and
theChinese construction work in the South China Sea -- Japan has aggressivelyprotested against it. The exercise
thus sends out a subtle message to theDragon indicating where the US stands when it comes to upholding
freedom ofnavigation in international waters at large and the South China Sea to bespecific.
In the Malabar 2015, the Indian Navy has been represented by INS Shivalik -an indigenous frigate, INS Ranvijay
- a guided missile destroyer, INS Betwa- an indigenous frigate and INS Shakti- a Fleet Support Ship. In
addition,one Sindhugosh class submarine, INS Sindhudhvaj, Long Range Maritime PatrolAircraft P8I and
integral rotary wing helicopters also participated in thetrilateral exercise.
The US Navy was represented by the ships from Carrier Task Force (CTF) 70of the US Navy's 7th Fleet, which
is based at Yokosuka, Japan. The CTFincluded the Nimitz class aircraft carrier USS Theodore
Roosevelt,Ticonderoga class Cruiser USS Normandy and Freedom Class Littoral Combatship USS Forth Worth.
In addition, one Los Angeles class nuclear poweredsubmarine USS City of Corpus Christi, F18 Aircraft from US
Carrier Air Wingand P8A Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft have been a part of theexercise.The JMSDF was
represented by JS Fuyuzuki, a missile destroyer withSH 60K integral helicopter.
Chennai: Naval officers of Japan Navy Ships greets onlookers during the media visits of five-day 'Malabar
exercise' ( India, United States and Japan ) on the Eastern coast, at the Port Trust in Chennai on Thursday.
(Source: PTI)
Document AIWINE0020151019ebaj000ed

India, US hold naval exercise with Japan Philippines slams Chinese lighthouses
619 words
20 October 2015
Middle East North Africa Financial Network (MENAFN)
MENAFI
English
Copyright 2015. Middle East North Africa Financial Network Inc.
(MENAFN - Arab Times) The Philippines on Monday strongly criticised two lighthouses China constructed in
the disputed South China Sea, charging that they were covert means of enforcing Beijing's claims to the disputed
waters. The angry statement came despite China's efforts to soothe tensions over its South China Sea claims
during a forum with ASEAN countries last week. "We are strongly opposed to China's construction and
operation of lighthouses on Cuateron Reef and Johnson Reef," said Charles Jose, a spokesman of the Department
of Foreign Affairs. "These actions are obviously intended to change actual conditions on the ground and aimed at
bolstering China's territorial claim in the South China Sea. We will not accept these unilateral actions as a fait
accompli," he added in a statement. The two reefs are located in the Spratly islands in the South China Sea, a
vital sealane and fishing ground which is claimed almost entirely by China.
Conflicts
China's claim conflicts with those of the Philippines as well as Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan. All but
Taiwan are members of ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The Philippines has been among
the most vocal in criticising China's efforts to assert its claim over the waters, including its recent reclamation of
land to transform isolated South China Sea outcrops into artificial islands that can host military facilities. Manila
has also filed a case with an international tribunal challenging Beijing's maritime claims. In a forum with
ASEAN defence chiefs in China last week, Fan Changlong, vice-chair of China's Central Military Commission,
tried to ease tensions, pledging that his country would "never recklessly resort to the use of force, even on issues
bear ing on sovereignty". However upon returning from the forum, Philippine Defence Secretary Voltaire
Gazmin late Saturday reiterated the call for "rules-based solutions," to resolve the dispute. "As responsible
members of the international community, parties must refrain from unilateral actions that change the status quo
and increase tensions," he said in a veiled criticism of China.
India, the United States and Japan on Monday wrapped up six days of naval exercises, reflecting closer military
ties that are seen as a counterweight to growing Chinese influence in the region. It is the second consecutive year
Japan's Maritime Self-Defence Force (MSDF) has taken part in the Malabar Exercise, conducted annually by the
US and India off the Andamans archipelago in the Bay of Bengal. India's defence ministry said the Oct 14-19
drills were "part of the process of enhancing naval cooperation among important navies of Indo- Pacific
regions".
Staking Regional power
China is expanding its deep-water naval presence and staking a claim to disputed areas of the South China Sea
and the East China Sea. India also has a longstanding territorial dispute with China, and troops from the two
countries engaged in a a major stand-off at the border last year. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who
enjoyed close ties with his Japanese counterpart as well as with US President Barack Obama, has criticised what
he called China's "expansionist mindset". Japan had taken part in the exercises in 2007 and 2008 but only
resumed its participation last year after Modi's election. Washington has increasingly turned its focus to Asia as it
looks to counter China's growing influence and a military build-up that has unnerved some of its regional
neighbours. "This exercise sends a good message to China and the rest of South Asia, and it is symbolic in the
sense that it says 'we're not backing off'," said independent Indian analyst Madhu Bhalla.
Document MENAFI0020151020ebak000ec

Behind the News
Japan, Indonesia pursue military partnership at first '2+2' meeting
By ISAMU NIKAIDO/ Staff Writer

228 words
18 December 2015
AJW (Asia & Japan Watch)
ASAHIE
English
Copyright 2015. The Asahi Shimbun Company.
Japan moved a step forward in plans to sell defense equipment to Indonesia and enhance military cooperation at
sea during the nations’ first “2+2” security talks in Tokyo on Dec. 17.
Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and Defense Minister Gen Nakatani represented Japan at the meeting with their
respective Indonesian counterparts, Retno Marsudi and Ryamizard Ryacudu.
They agreed to begin talks on an agreement to transfer defense equipment and technology that will allow Japan
to export military equipment to the Southeast Asian nation.
Japan will also bolster capacity-building projects that aim to strengthen the Indonesian army through exchanges
with Japan’s Self-Defense Forces.
The Indonesian side showed interest in the US-2, the Japanese-made amphibious aircraft for the Maritime SDF’s
rescue work, because it is “distinguished not only as a flying boat but also as an aircraft.”
The Japanese side also agreed that Japan will support the enhancement of maritime security. The SDF, for
example, will join Komodo, the Indonesian navy-hosted multilateral naval exercise, in 2016.
Indonesia is the sixth nation and the first ASEAN member to enter “2+2” talks with Japan, following the United
States, Britain, France, Australia and Russia.
The US-2 amphibious rescue plane (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
Document ASAHIE0020151218ebci00005

NATIONAL
‘Malabar’ exercise should not upset peace: China
Kallol Bhattacherjee
517 words
20 December 2015
The Hindu
THINDU
English
(c) 2015 Kasturi & Sons Ltd
NEW DELHI,NATIONAL India’s trilateral naval exercise with Japan and the United States, named “Malabar”,
should not destabilise China’s maritime neighbourhood, said China’s Ambassador to India Le Yucheng to The
Hindu on Saturday.
“India should ensure that initiatives like the trilateral maritime arrangement or defence ties with other countries
are conducive for peaceful and stable Asia-Pacific region,” Mr Le said on the sidelines of a media event in New
Delhi on Saturday. Earlier, Mr. Le pointed out in his speech delivered at the event that the maritime boundary of
China in the South China Sea was legitimate and flexing military muscles by other countries was not going to
help maintain peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.
Dismissing concerns that China might obstruct free navigation in the South China Sea, taking advantage of its
territorial and maritime claims, Mr. Le said China’s claims were historically accurate and, therefore, could not be
disputed. In a spirited defence of Beijing’s rights over the South China Sea, the Ambassador said, “For a long
time after World War II, no one challenged China’s sovereignty over these islands. But certain powers have
begun questioning China’s territorial and maritime rights in the region after the discovery of energy fields in the
South China Sea.”
“This is our common sea. China has always supported freedom of navigation and we are for creating a code of
conduct to ensure smooth navigation in that region,” he said, asking external powers not to meddle in the issue.
Presenting the Indian argument, in response to Mr. Le, Ram Madhav, general secretary of the BJP, said China
had to take “utmost care” in ensuring freedom of navigation and peace and stability in the South China Sea
region. “We have a few unresolved issues in the Asia-Pacific region. Freedom of navigation is necessary for
Japan and South Korea that import most of their energy over the oceans of the Indo-Pacific region,” Mr. Madhav
said, while indicating that he supported some fresh policy changes in dealing with China’s claims in the
Southeast Asian region. “India will use culture, historic ties with the Indian diaspora to convert Asia-Pacific
region into an Indo-Pacific region,” he said.
The South China Sea has been at the centre of several regional and bilateral discussions in recent months. At the
ASEAN summit recently in Kuala Lumpur, Japan began lobbying for a new code of conduct to neutralise
China’s maritime claims.
This was followed by Japan joining the Malabar naval trilateral during the visit of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to
New Delhi between December 11-13. However as narrated by Mr Le, Beijing’s position on maritime rights does
not reflect concerns by other countries.
Analyst Brig. (Retd) Gurmeet Kanwal said China had not mellowed following the declaration of the Malabar
trilateral. “China needs to give up the unilateral approach to South China Sea as it is part of the global commons
which can be safeguarded only by a multilateral approach,” he said.
Document THINDU0020151220ebck000eo

NATIONAL
US Navy official questions intent of China military advance in
471 words
8 January 2016
PRTRIN
English
Indian Ocean
New Delhi, Jan 8 (PTI) Questioning the "intent" of Chinese military advances in the Indian Ocean and the
Pacific waters, a top American Naval commander today sought deeper ties with India as he cited India-
Bangaldesh maritime border dispute resolution as a possible model for others.
Admiral Scott Swift, Commander, Pacific Fleet, also pitched for India signing the three contentious defence
foundational agreements that Washington is keen on.
Talking about the growing Chinese activities in the Indian Ocean, he wondered why would any country deploy
nuclear submarines for anti-piracy operations.
India security agencies are concerned about such activities of the Chinese Navy but China claims the submarines
are part of their anti-piracy fleet.
Swift, who met Navy chief Admiral R K Dhowan, also spoke about China's attempts to carve out their own ports
in various countries like Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Djibouti (Africa).
"There is lack of transparency, lack of understanding of the intent," Swift said speaking to a select group of
reporters.
He said it is for India to decide what role it wants to play in the maritime waters but pointed out that US would
be ready for more naval exercises.
He cited the recent Malabar naval exercise between India, US and Japan and said Washington wants the exercise
to be inclusive rather than exclusive.
He was responding to a questions about whether the US wants Australia to be part of the Malabar exercise like in
2007.
Talking about the maritime disputes in Asia, Swift said that in 2012, the International Tribunal for the Law of the
Seas decided a maritime border dispute between Bangladesh and Burma that benefited both.
He said that two years later, the Permanent Court of Arbitration, resolved Bangladesh's western maritime border
dispute with India two years later.
"India demonstrated regional leadership by agreeing to arbitration with its smaller neighbour and by accepting
the ruling," he said adding that this could be a role model for others, in an indirect reference to the dispute in
South China Sea. China has territorial water disputes with Vietnam, the Philippines, Japan and some other
ASEAN countries.
Asked about the foundational agreements, Swift said they are "natural outcomes" for a deepening of ties and said
the word "foundational" describes how important they are.
The American side had raised the issue of signing of Communications and Information Security Memorandum of

Agreement (CISMOA), Logistics Support Agreement (LSA) and Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement
(BECA) during the recent visit of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to the US.
While the previous UPA government had refused to sign these, sources said Parrikar has asked the US to address
India's concerns over these agreements for holding further talks, particularly on CISMOA and BECA. MORE
PTI SAP PAL
Document PRTRIN0020160108ec1800ctc

Opinion
Power play in Indian Ocean and what it means for Asean
Sajjad Ashraf
980 words
16 February 2016
The Straits Times
STIMES
English
(c) 2016 Singapore Press Holdings Limited
While competing claims in the South China Sea grab the headlines, the strategic framework being laid out
around the Indian Ocean by India and China is going unnoticed.
Jostling in the Indian Ocean is more about how China and India place themselves at a strategically advantageous
position in the region. China's phenomenal economic miracle necessarily extends its footprint into the Indian
Ocean, to protect its sea lanes for energy supplies and trade.
In pursuit of its strategic interests, China finds a ready partner in Pakistan. Their relations, known for their
endurance, are expanding in scope. Common adversaries, mutual interests and prudence have cast their
relationship into an "iron friendship".
The military component of this relationship has also come to assume a vital strategic dimension. China now
provides half of Pakistan's military hardware and has demonstrated a willingness to transfer technology to
Pakistan.
China sees growing cosiness between India, the United States and Japan threatening its sea lanes, especially the
energy choke points at the Hormuz and Malacca straits, in the Indian Ocean as well as in the South and East
China seas. China watches India's military overtures to Mauritius and Seychelles with concern. Recent reversals
in Chinese influence in Myanmar and Sri Lanka have been to India's advantage.
Of particular anxiety to China is India's potential military build-up in the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago just
north-west of the Strait of Malacca, from where India can project its power into the strait and beyond.
Indian Navy warships during a media event off the coast of Mumbai in December. Pakistan, despite
modernisation of its navy, will find it difficult to tackle India's formidable naval arsenal alone. Hence its
dependence on China. PHOTO: REUTERS
India's maritime doctrine reflects the thinking of Indian historian and diplomat K. M. Panikkar that the Indian
Ocean is Indian.
In a 1945 essay, he recognised Vietnam's importance in controlling China's entry into the South China Sea and
the Indian Ocean. This forethought underlines modern-day Indian attempts to develop security relations with
Vietnam. India's building of a satellite station in Vietnam to eavesdrop on China is no comfort to the Chinese.
In 1973, former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee stated that "India's security environment ranged from the
Persian Gulf to the Strait of Malacca across the Indian Ocean... and South-east Asia". His successor, Dr
Manmohan Singh, reaffirmed it in no uncertain terms. Such declarations worry China.
Pakistan, fearful of India's overwhelming presence in the Indian Ocean region, is naturally drawn closer to
China. With both confronting the same adversary, there could be no better geostrategic partners. China's naval
relationship with Pakistan is, therefore, the most developed for any country. Its first naval exercise was with
Pakistan in 2003 and in 2007 China participated in a multilateral naval exercise for the first time, hosted by the
Pakistan Navy (PN).

China, which had built Gwadar Port, was displeased when, to manage the port, Pakistan picked Singapore's PSA
in 2007 in competition with the Chinese and Dubai bids.
Since Pakistan's own defence is closely tied to Chinese interests, Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar went public
in a Financial Times report in May 2011, disclosing that "we have asked our Chinese brothers to please build a
naval base at Gwadar".
Transferred to China Overseas Port Holdings Company in February 2013, the port remains civilian in nature, for
now. But regular visits by Chinese vessels to Karachi and Gwadar allow the People's Liberation Army-Navy
(PLA-N) to get acquainted with the local operating environment, in partnership with the PN. This
interoperability and technological synchronisation will be an equaliser for China in a tussle to control the region.
In this Indian Ocean chessboard, if China obtains naval facilities at Gwadar, China in one stroke positions itself
to defend its own energy supplies passing through the Indian Ocean choke points, especially Hormuz. A
bridgehead at Gwadar eases China's "Malacca Dilemma" through the projected overland supply lines to western
China. The recent news of China setting up a naval base in Djibouti, on the African side of the Indian Ocean, is a
pointer to China's future strategy.
Pakistan's enfeebled economy, internal discord and growing isolation make it increasingly dependent on China.
Pakistan, therefore, considers a strengthening of China's position its own. It is most likely that Pakistan, seeking
that elusive sense of equality with India, would facilitate China's presence in the region.
The two navies are strengthening relations due to the changing international environment. China is helping
Pakistan modernise and enhance its naval capacity. But despite all this modernisation, Pakistan alone will find it
difficult to tackle India's formidable naval arsenal that is to include aircraft carriers and nuclear-powered
submarines. Hence China.
As geopolitical alignments are changing, strategic interests are drawing China into the Indian Ocean and India
into the South China Sea.
This tug of war between the two biggest countries, projected to be the two leading economies of the world by
mid-century, could potentially be damaging for Asean interests. Placed in the middle of the two, Asean has the
historic opportunity to be the moderator and to promote the peaceful rise of China and India for the larger good
of the region and beyond.
This is a challenge, which Asean leadership must embrace.
* The writer is an adjunct professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of
Singapore. He was Pakistan's High Commissioner to Singapore from 2004 to 2008.
Indian Navy warships during a media event off the coast of Mumbai in December. Pakistan, despite
modernisation of its navy, will find it difficult to tackle India's formidable naval arsenal alone. Hence its
dependence on China.
Document STIMES0020160215ec2g003go

Pacific Fleet ships to take part in ASEAN anti-terror drills
news department
Rossiyskaya Gazeta
163 words
1 April 2016
Russian Press Digest - Russica Izvestia
RUPRDI
English
(c) 2016 Russica-Izvestia Information Inc. All Rights Reserved
Ships from Russia's Pacific Fleet will take part in the 2016 ADMM-PLUS international Maritime Security and
Counterterrorism Exercise on the South China Sea in May, TASS reported.
ADMM-PLUS comprises of the ten ASEAN members plus Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, New
Zealand, Russia and the United States.
"Pacific Fleet ships will be engaged in the exercise for the first time," Roman Martov, a spokesman for Russia's
Eastern Military District told the news agency. "The Russian crews of a group of ships will be patrolling the area
of the exercise and will be conducting a joint operation to detect and free the ship seized by a simulated terrorist
group."
The Admiral Vinogradov anti-submarine destroyer, the Fotiy Krylov salvage tug and the Irkut tanker will be
among the Pacific Fleet ships taking part in the 2016 ADMM-PLUS naval exercise, according to the report.
Document RUPRDI0020160401ec4100002

S. Korea, U.S. begin 11-day naval drill along southern coast
259 words
11 April 2016
Yonhap English News
YONH
English
© Copyright 2016 Yonhap News Agency. All rights reserved.
SEOUL, April 11 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States kicked off an 11-day joint naval exercise along
the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula on Monday to enhance their combined readiness to conduct search
and rescue operations and other underwater missions, the Navy said.
South Korea's Navy mobilized the 3,500-ton rescue vessel, Tongyeong, along with 12 specialized ship salvage
unit personnel for the joint drill, which is part of the ongoing annual Foal Eagle field exercise.
The U.S. side brought in the 3,300-ton rescue ship USNS Safeguard, along with 15 naval diving and salvage
rescue swimmers, according to the Navy.
In the exercise, which will run through April 21, the forces will carry out deep-sea diving and underwater
demolition aimed at obstacle elimination in order to beef up their combined capability to perform rescue
missions both in peacetime and during times of war.
Separately, the Navy will dispatch a 15-man team of deep-sea divers, medical workers and vessels to the
Indonesia-led multilateral rescue exercise, Komodo, which will kick off on Tuesday for a five-day run.
A total of 32 countries, mostly from the Association of South East Asian Nations or ASEAN, will mobilize a
combined total of 48 vessels, 17 aircraft and 5,000 personnel for the biennial rescue drill. The United States and
Japan will also take part in the exercise, the Navy added.
pbr@yna.co.kr (END)
20160411 1012 KST
Document YONH000020160411ec4b000m9

Multilateral Naval Exercise Komodo Kicks Off in Indonesia
434 words
12 April 2016
Department of Defense Documents
DODDOC
English
Story Number: NNS160412-03
Release Date: 4/12/2016
From Task Force 73 Public Affairs
PADANG, Indonesia (NNS) -- The multilateral Naval Exercise Komodo 2016 kicked off in Padang, Indonesia,
April 12, with an opening ceremony and arrival of navy ships from 35 nations in the city's harbor for an
international fleet review.
The multilateral focused Komodo exercise emphasizes readiness and cooperation among navies and will take
place in the city of Padang and in the waters of the Indian Ocean.
Komodo 2016 is the second iteration of the exercise, which began in 2014 in Batam, Indonesia.
"Komodo 2016 provides an outstanding venue to enhance multilateral cooperation while strengthening our
friendship with the people of Indonesia," said Rear Adm. Charles Williams, commander, Task Force 73. "We're
honored to participate in the outreach activities planned ashore and the sea phase where we'll operate alongside
navies from 35 countries."
Komodo 2016 features a robust harbor phase that includes an international fleet review and a sea phase training
scenario where participating navies will work together to enhance information sharing and maritime cooperation.
During the harbor phase, U.S. Navy Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 4 will work alongside
fellow naval engineers on a civil-military project, while Sailors from the Arleigh-Burke class guided-missile
destroyer USS Stockdale and Patrol Squadron 8 will participate in community service projects at Padang Beach
and a cultural exchange with students at Andalas University.
The sea phase will feature divisional tactics, small boat operations, flight operations with helicopters and
maritime patrol aircraft, and communication drills.
Approximately 48 ships and aircraft from 35 navies will participate in the sea phase, including 18 Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Plus member states.
U.S. assets and personnel participating in Komodo 2016 include staff from Task Force 73 and Destroyer
Squadron 7, Sailors from USS Stockdale, a P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft and flight crew from VP-8,
and Seabees from NMCB 4.
"We are very excited to go to sea and execute a challenging sea phase in support of Komodo 2016," said Cmdr.
Sean Grunwell, commanding officer, USS Stockdale. "This exercise allows our Sailors to showcase their skills
as professional mariners as we operate together at sea with ships from navies throughout the region."
The multilateral exercise also coincides with the 15th Western Pacific Naval Symposium, a biennial dialogue
that brings together naval leaders from across the globe for discussions and engagement on key maritime issues.
This year's WPNS was attended by Adm. Scott Swift, Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet.
Document DODDOC0020160412ec4c0005q

International: Dragon Plan to Quill India
Mridu Kumari
2,382 words
16 April 2016
The DayAfter
ATTDFR
English
Copyright © 2016 The DayAfter.
India has to protest loudly over Chinese hackle through Pakistan, Nepal and North-East region of India as the
Mandarins already have Ladakh and Arunachal in its vicinity
The Defense Minister of India Manohar Parrikar would be making a three-day visit to China from April 18. It
would be his first visit to China where last Indian Defense Minister to undertake an official trip was A K Antony.
He visited the country in 2013.
Parrikar who will have a very tight schedule in China, may travel to the country's one of the five regional
military commands, established in February this year in accordance with its military modernization plan. Going
along with a sizable delegation, comprising Defense Secretary G Mohan Kumar, Indian army's Eastern
Command chief Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi and others, Parrikar has shown interest in visiting a command which has
been formed by merging Chengdu and Lanzhou military regions; Chengdu was in charge of security along
India's Eastern sector, including Arunachal Pradesh, while Lanzhou looked after the Western sector, including
Kashmir and Pakistan.
During his visit, Parrikar will have a formal delegation-level talks with his Chinese counterpart and State
Councilor, Chang Wanquan and as per sources, both of them are likely to discuss a number of issues, including
those related to maintenance of peace and tranquility on the border; military exchanges and interactions between
the two sides. With aim to establish a mechanism to improve security along the Line of Actual Control, the two
nations had signed Border Defense Cooperation Agreement (BDCA) in 2013. In spite of this, Chinese PLA's
intrusions into the Indian territories continue. In the three months of this year, PLA transgressed LAC as many as
16 times in Chumar sector of Ladakh. In fact, in March alone, two incidents of intrusions by Chinese soldiers in
the Ladakh region were reported.
On March 8, personnel of People's Liberation Army entered almost 6-km deep inside the Indian Territory near
Pangong Lake in Ladakh. The incident got repeated on March 11 also. This time, Chinese soldiers entered the
Thakung post in Ladakh. And they retreated only when Indian troops protested. By undertaking such steps, while
China appears to be testing the preparedness of Indian soldiers and their patience, yet what worries defense
experts in the country is China's continued attempt to invest in infrastructure in the area surrounding India and its
physical territory.
Already, it has developed good infrastructure along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) - the 4,056-km long border
that separates India and China. Then it is building road from its western city of Kashgar to the Pakistani port of
Gwadar via the Karakoram highway. This highway will crisscross the famous Khunjerab Pass and Gilgit-
Baltistan area of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. China is also building rail link up to Gwadar and for this,
feasibility study is already complete. Beijing says these measures are aimed at providing economic benefits to
both China and Pakistan. But those who are aware of Chinese strategy vis-a-vis India in the South Asian region
will think twice before buying such arguments. In fact, in the background of the India-China 1962 War and
lingering trust deficit between them, it becomes rather tougher for even an average student of international
politics to see through China's intention.
Under its strategic railway roadmap, China is trying to extend the Qinghai-Tibet rail line to Nepal, Arunachal
Pradesh and Yadong, a Chinese-Tibetan area which is close to India-Bhutan border. By 2020, according to a
report, process of linking these places with China will be complete. About this, Chinese officials maintain that it

would facilitate easy transportation of the goods between China and South Asia and prove win-win situation for
both sides. But analysts say there is more to it than meets the eye. Once rail link along Nepal, Bhutan and
Arunachal Pradesh is in place, China would easily transport its troops stationed in Tibet to encircle India in the
event of any conflict, they say.
India, aware of China's 'hidden agenda,' has begun to push road and rail connectivity programme in the country's
North-East region. It has recently announced investing Rs 1500 crore in improving road connectivity in the
region. The Defence Ministry has already set a deadline of 2018 to complete roads, bridges and other
infrastructure projects in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. Earlier Assam was the lone North-East state which used
to feature in India's rail map, but two more states-Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura have now been added to it and
that too with broad-gauge connection. If officials of the Ministry of the Railways are to be believed, by March
2017, railway connection up to Tulpul in Manipur and by March 31, 2018, connection up to Sairang near
Mizoram's capital Aizwal will be complete.
In any case, they say, all North-East states, including Meghalaya and Sikkim would be connected with rail by
March 31, 2020. Then the Ministry of Defence has set a deadline to refurbish six Advanced Landing Grounds
(ALGs) for military aircraft, railway lines, tunnels and roads up to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) before
December 2019. Besides, to give the country's war preparedness a boost, India has planned to use Israel made
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles along the LAC and install India-Israel developed Barak 8 air and missile defence
system along the border. The IAF has currently two air force bases in the region-Tezpur and Chabua where
Sukhoi MKI aircrafts are stationed.
The country's Indian Ocean strategy is also given a boost. The recent activity involving deepening of strategic
ties with Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives, Seychelles, Madagascar and Mauritius in the immediate and
extended neighbourhood is in commensurate with New Delhi's plan to bolster its maritime security in the IOR.
To this regard, India has adopted multi-pronged strategy which includes capacity building, infrastructure
development, promoting confidence building measures with nations of the IOR by holding regular bilateral and
multi-lateral naval exercises in Indian Ocean.
In Sri Lanka, where Army Chief Dalbir Singh concluded his five-day visit in the first week of December, India
has unveiled a plan to strengthen its defence relations. Along with its decision to upgrade Sri Lankan forces'
ageing warplanes, tanks and air defence guns, New Delhi is planning to gift two more ships for Sri Lankan coast
guard. It should be noted that India formally handed over a ship to the island for its maritime security on August
27 last year. Then in a bid to stop Sri Lanka which is eying on JF-17 Thunder aircraft, co-produced by China and
Pakistan, India has offered the Island nation Tejas Light Combat Aircraft. According to sources, the Sri Lankan
Air Force (SLAF) is looking for 18 new fighter aircraft to replace its Chinese license-built MIG-21 aircraft.
While India has agreed to upgrade all these ageing MIG-21 aircraft, it has also offered to provide the country
Tejas LAC. All this is done to keep the island nation away from China's influence.
With Maldives, India has renewed its attempt to deepen its engagement. External Affairs Minister Sushma
Swaraj visited Male last year in October for the India-Maldives joint commission meeting. This was the first
joint commission meeting held after a gap of almost 15 years, indicating New Delhi's attempt to tie loose ends of
Indo-Maldivian engagement. Both countries had discussed about the way forward to close cooperation between
them on defence and security issue. It should be noted that the next DOSTI series of exercise involving coast
guards of India, Maldives and Sri Lanka would be held in 2016.
Aim behind such exercise is to enhance mutual operational capability and build cooperation between the coast
guards of three countries. Yet what's worrying Indian officials is Maldivian ruling elites' indulgence in
prevaricating the truth. The Maldivian government-led by Abdulla Yameen assured the Indian government that it
would not allow China to build naval base in his country, but his administration in July passed a bill in the island
nation's parliament allowing foreigners to own land on condition that at least 70 per cent of the area is reclaimed
from the sea. It is viewed as an attempt to facilitate more Chinese presence in Indian Ocean. New Delhi is,
however, not prepared to let China have a cake and eat it too. To meet its foreign policy objective, the Modi
government, as per sources, is planning to set off economic and other diplomatic measures to restrict the Yameen
government from leaning heavily on China.
It is, however, China's "unshakable networking" with its all-weather friend, Pakistan which is compelling India's
policy makers to cast many a sleepless night. In the third week of May last year, the Chinese Navy (PLA-N)
docked conventional Yuan-class 335 submarine for about a week at the Karachi port after crossing the Arabian
Sea. This exercise was much like Chinese submarines' foray into the Colombo Port in 2014. While change of

guards in Sri Lanka have for now halted China's game plan to crisscross the Bay of Bengal at will, but it is
closeness between China and Pakistan and their known anti-India posture that is causing heartburns among
Indian strategic thinkers.
Given that China has decided to build eight submarines for Pakistani navy, it is believed that it would result in
enhancing Pakistan's undersea warfare capability which could tilt the balance in China's favour during any
conflict in future with India. On its own, however, China is giving shape to its 'blue water' ambition; it is
constructing two 60,000-tonne aircraft carriers-one each at its Dalian shipyard and another at Shanghai. By 2020,
both of them are expected to get operational. At the moment China has a lone aircraft carrier, but by 2035, it is
expected to have six operational carriers.
In view of this, India has put in place its strategic defence mechanism involving regular naval contacts-at both
bilateral and multilateral levels-with like-minded countries situated along IOR and developing Indian navy into
real blue water force. Already in possession of two aircraft carriers-INS Vikramaditya and INS Virat, India is
building two indigenous aircraft carriers. Indian navy also has one amphibious transport dock, 50 Frigates,
Destroyers and Corvettes one nuclear-powered and14 conventionally-powered attack submarines and a many
other naval ships including around 100 armed patrol ships with the Indian Coast Guards. It is developing naval
base in Chabahar in Iran.
While in Mauritius's Agalega-I and II Islands and Seychelles's Assumption Island, India is developing airfields
and port facilities. Then to monitor activities of foreign navies in the IOR, India has a listening post in
Madagascar. In September 2015, India held first bilateral naval exercise with Australia. According to sources, it
is being planned to convert the biennial naval exercise called AUSINDEX into an annual event.
There is a possibility, say sources, Australia could participate in the Malabar series of naval exercise which was
in 2015 held trilaterally by India, the US and Japan in the Bay of Bengal. According to an estimate, India has a
maritime cooperation agreement with as many as 35 countries in the world. Following a dictum that says 'your
land is safe until your sea is safe' India conducts naval exercises with Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Myanmar,
Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives and several other countries on a regular basis. After the NDA government's
coming into power, officials of the Ministry of Defense say, policy paralysis with regard to the country's defense
has been addressed and dynamism has been infused in every aspect of security to checkmate China.
But when China is giving a push to OBOR (One Belt, One Road) initiative, India does not want to lag behind; its
'Project Mausam', a transnational project is wrapped in two-dimensional package filled with strategic and
cultural fundamentals. It is given a shape in close coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs and the
Ministry of Culture. Starting with the Indian subcontinent, it will take into account Southeast Asian region, the
Arabian Peninsula and East African nations.
Already New Delhi's diplomatic relations with countries falling in Indian Ocean are very good. But thrust now is
being made to revive cultural ties before process of developing strategic engagements with them starts. In that
view, it wants to deepen cultural foot prints in Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia and of course
with Myanmar, the country where India-led Kaladan Transport Project that will be connected with Sitwe Port-is
on the way of completion. Developed by Essar group, the multi-million project will serve economic as well as
strategic interests of India.
With Southeast Asia, India once enjoyed abiding cultural and historical linkages through Buddhism and
Hinduism. Epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata were ethos of South Asia. These were the crux on which
foundation of 'Look East' was laid in 1991, yet bond between India and nations of Southeast Asia is limited
largely to economic periphery. Strategic association, if any is there with these Southeast Asian nations, they are
confined within the architecture of the 1993 established Asean Regional Forum (ARF) where maritime security
is one of the dominant issues. However, New Delhi is ready to add new contour to its relations with each of these
Southeast Asian nations. And, it is by building a mix of cultural and strategic infrastructure with each country of
the region. In this regard, a brief has already been given to Indian ambassadors posted in Indonesia, Malaysia,
Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar. But plans are afoot to vigorously pursue the issue, since China has started
aggressively wooing the Indian Ocean countries by giving them huge money for their infrastructure and other
non-military programme. Even as India lacks China's money power, it has unalloyed goodwill across the
countries that border China.
Through 'Project Mausam' New Delhi seeks cultural and business bonding with nations lying along the Indian
Ocean, it is taking help from like-minded nations such as the US, Japan and Thailand to accelerate infrastructure

connectivity.
Document ATTDFR0020160416ec4g00039

DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS
Vietnam joins int’l naval exercise in Brunei and Singapore
149 words
29 April 2016
Vietnam News Summary
VENEWS
English
Copyright 2016. Vian Company Limited.
The HQ 381 frigate of the Navy Zone 4 High Command of the Vietnam People’s Navy on April 28 left Cam
Ranh Port to participate in an international joint military exercise in Brunei and Singapore.
This is the first time the navy has sent its frigate to take part in the international naval exercise.
The exercise has been timed to coincide with the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting Plus Maritime Security
and Counterterrorism Exercise (ADMM+MS/CT 2016) in Brunei and Singapore on May 2-12, aiming to share
information to resolve maritime security challenges and terrorism in the region.
The 18 countries joining the exercises are Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, India, Japan, the
Republic of Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, the
US and Vietnam. (VOV News – April 28)
Document VENEWS0020160429ec4t00020

National
INS Airavat reaches Brunei for multination exercise
281 words
1 May 2016
Deccan Herald
DECHER
English
Copyright 2016. The Printers (Mysore) Private Ltd.
NEW DELHI, May 2, 2016, DHNS:
Indian Navy ship INS Airavat will participate in a multinational naval exercise in the South China Sea later this
week.
The warship INS Airavat arrived in Brunei on Sunday for the mock drill, conducted by the ASEAN countries.
The exercise will commence in Brunei and culminate in Singapore with various drills and exercises in the South
China Sea.
USA, Japan and China too would take part in the exercise that would witness participation from Brunei,
Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, Russia, Australia and South Korea.
Interestingly, INS Airavat is the same warship that was harassed by the Chinese Navy in 2011 when it was
sailing to Vietnam for a port call. In July 2011, when INS Airavat sailed from Nha Trang port in south central
Vietnam towards Haiphong, the ship received an unusual radio message in which the caller identified himself
from the Chinese navy and asked the Indian ship to move out of Chinese waters.INS Airavat did not respond to
the message and continued its way. Later, the Ministry of External Affairs criticised Beijing in a statement,
saying "India supports freedom of navigation in international waters, including in the South China Sea, and the
right of passage in accordance with accepted principles of international law."
Commanded by Commander Jayant Mahadik, INS Airavat is an indigenous Landing Ship Tank (large) that can
carry 500 troops, 10 tanks, 11 combat trucks and a helicopter for amphibious operations, humanitarian assistance
and disaster relief. "The participation of INS Airavat aims to bolster India's ties and enhance inter-operability
with the participating navies," said a Navy spokesperson.
Document DECHER0020160502ec510002v

Vietnamese battleship joins naval exercise in Brunei
311 words
2 May 2016
Tuoi Tre Newspaper
TUOTRE
English
Copyright 2016 Tuoi Tre Newspaper
A battleship of the Vietnam People's Navy, along with those from several other nations, gathered in Brunei on
Sunday afternoon to prepare for a naval training exercise.
Vietnam's naval ship 381 and other vessels from member nations of theASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus
(ADMM-Plus) assembled at Muara Port in the tiny Southeast Asian country to attend the first phase of the
maritime security and counter-terrorism exercise, scheduled for May 1-4.
ASEAN stands for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a 10-member organization including Brunei,
Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
The ADMM-Plus is a platform for ASEAN and its eight Dialogue Partners, namely China, Japan, South Korea,
the U.S., India, Russia, Australia and New Zealand, to strengthen security and defense cooperation for peace,
stability, and development in the region.
A Vietnamese naval officer (foreground) works with his Australian counterparts during a joint exercise. Photo:
Tuoi Tre
The naval force of the host country initiated the training session by issuing specific plans and assigning missions
to the participants on Sunday.
Naval officers from the attending nations are scheduled to carry out joint exercises on communications, target
searching and detaining violators of maritime security, as well as practicing the landing and departure of aircraft
on the ship's dock, among others.
In the second phase of the drill, which is set to run from May 5 to 6, the Vietnamese warship will join the tactical
formation with counterparts from Indonesia, India, the Philippines, Russia, and Thailand to carry out field
training exercises (FTX), information exchange, and search and rescue practice.
The group of battleships are set to travel from Brunei to Singapore between May 7 and 9 to continue the final
phase of the naval exercise, which will focus on anti-terrorism activities.
Document TUOTRE0020160502ec520002u

topstories
SOUTH CHINA SEA ROW - China calls for naval exercise with Asean
Achara Ashayagachat and Wassana Nanuam

709 words
30 May 2016
Bangkok Post
BKPOST
English
(c) 2016. The Post Publishing Public Company Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Beijing moves to head off US on seas row
China is stepping up its efforts in resolving the disputes in the South China Sea by calling for a joint military
exercise with all Southeast Asian nations.
The call, made last year, was repeated in the Lao capital of Vientiane last week when Chinese Minister of
National Defence Chang Wanquan met his counterparts from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (Asean), Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon said.
The move came as US President Barack Obama last Monday visited Vietnam -- one of the disputing parties in
the maritime conflict -- to normalise bilateral ties between the two former enemies, including lifting
Washington's arms embargo on Hanoi. US, China, Russia: Political brinksmanship
As Vietnam and the Philippines are building up their sea power amid growing maritime tensions with China, Gen
Prawit said, after returning from the 10th Asean Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) in Vientiane that China
was interested in conducting a joint war game with the 10 Asean members. Gen Prawit said all sides at the
Vientiane meeting were interested, though a Thai military source said there was no agreement on the Chinese
proposal yet.
"Vietnam and the Philippines simply acknowledged it. Thailand will certainly go ahead if all sides agree to it.
But the disputed nations should talk to China and minimise mistrust," the source told the Bangkok Post.
Beijing claims four-fifths of the South China Sea as its territory, but Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan
and Vietnam also have overlapping claims across one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.
Without mentioning the Chinese proposal, the 10th ADMM Joint Declaration said the ADMM resolved to
cooperate to combat the transnational threat of terrorism, as well as observe international protocols such as the
Cues.
The ADMM meeting also emphasised the importance of fast-tracking the conclusion of the Code of Conduct in
the South China Sea -- a thorny issue they had with China in pushing for the "defence diplomacy" tool.
Thailand is the only Asean member that has extensive military relations with China on all fronts.
Bangkok's welcoming gesture to Beijing's joint exercise call has drawn a mixed response from analysts
interviewed by the Bangkok Post.
Thitinan Pongsudhirak, of Chulalongkorn University, said the China's People's Liberation Army appears to be
playing catch-up with the United States in defence diplomacy and joint military exercises.
"The PLA's interest to broaden defence cooperation into a joint China-Asean war games under the ADMM Plus
bodes well for Southeast Asia, as tensions in the region have mounted in recent months. If the PLA follows
through, Asean's armed forces likely would be receptive," he said.

"It would be a sign that Asean has gained some leverage vis-a-vis Beijing by leaning on Washington in the
maritime domain. It would also be a step forward in enticing China to accept a rules-based regional order and
move forward with the code of conduct."
Yun Sun, of the Washington-based Henry L Stimson Centre, said China wanted to rally regional support and put
Asean in closer alignment with China in lieu of the Shangri-La dialogue -- to be held in Singapore later this
week -- and the international tribunal's ruling on the South China Sea next month.
"The Chinese defence minister's gesture is to demonstrate that China is in a good relationship with Southeast
Asia and the crisis is not as dire as perceived," Ms Sun said.
A former Bangkok-based Asian diplomat said the Thai leadership was leaning towards the Chinese even long
before the coup "as the US is unsympathetic to them. Playing the China card would make the US get off the
generals' back".
A Bangkok-based Asian ambassador said it is natural that China wants to push for closer cooperation with
Asean, but "I can only guess how each Asean defence colleague would react to such a proposal".
A retired Thai ambassador doubted if the proposal would materialise as Asean couldn't act without consensus on
such a move and several members would oppose it. "Gen Prawit's remarks might be a tactic to please China."
Document BKPOST0020160529ec5u000xh

Top of the News
Singapore a capable, principled security partner: Carter
Tan Hui Yee,Jermyn Chow

604 words
4 June 2016
The Straits Times
STIMES
English
Republic, like the US, stands for cooperation, proper conduct of international affairs, he says
The United States has "no better friend than Singapore" in the region, says US Secretary of Defence Ashton
Carter, as defence and military chiefs gathered in the Republic for the 15th Shangri-La Dialogue yesterday.
Speaking at a joint press conference with his Singapore counterpart Ng Eng Hen, Dr Carter said the US is
grateful to have "as capable and as principled a security partner as Singapore".
Dr Carter said Singapore, like the US, stood for cooperation and inclusiveness, and believed in the proper
conduct of international affairs.
He had also discussed this with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during a meeting yesterday, and thanked Mr
Lee for the close partnership between the two countries and for facilitating the US' presence in the Asia-Pacific,
including hosting the P-8 Poseidon maritime aircraft.
Dr Carter's comments came hours after China announced it was sending five ships to join the US-hosted Rim of
the Pacific (Rimpac) naval exercise this year. Dr Carter said China's participation in the biennial Rimpac "is a
perfect example of working together".
China's military build-up in the South China Sea will likely dominate this year's dialogue, an annual security
summit which is both a forum for defence policymakers and analysts, as well as a backdrop for bilateral
meetings between delegations from the Asia-Pacific. Several countries are locked in disputes with China over
territorial claims in the South China Sea. It has vowed not to recognise an upcoming Permanent Court of
Arbitration ruling, in a process initiated by the Philippines.
The man most likely to be asked about China's presence in the disputed waters will be Admiral Sun Jianguo,
deputy chief of the Joint Staff Department of China's Central Military Commission. The naval officer is slated to
speak on the challenges of conflict resolution tomorrow.
Yesterday, he urged Australia to be fair over the disputes, after meeting Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin, chief of
the Australian Defence Force. "China has maintained a consistent and clear policy on the South China Sea issue
and we wish the Australian side to take a fair and objective stance," said Adm Sun, as reported by Xinhua news
agency.
In a keynote address last night to over 500 military chiefs, ministers, and other delegates, Thailand's Prime
Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said his country believes that Asean must be united on the South China Sea issue,
and supports an early conclusion of a Code of Conduct.
But he also said that "countries should take a win-win approach" and look for common ground, even as
negotiations continue.
Yesterday, Dr Ng said there needs to be "clear rules of the road" where all parties understand how disputes
should be resolved. He said Singapore has "no fantasies or delusions" about the size of its influence. "What we
can do is try to speak truth to power, to say what we see as accommodating for both interests of small and large

countries."
As for China's rise, he said: "There is no question of containment.
"The question is how do you accommodate the security architecture for both a resident power and a rising
power."
Over this weekend, the forum will also address challenges brought by terrorism, irregular migration, and North
Korea's nuclear programme.
SEE TOP OF THE NEWS
Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen (right) and his US counterpart Ashton Carter speaking at the Paya Lebar Airbase
on June 2.
Document STIMES0020160603ec64003bz

Remarks on "Asia-Pacific's Principled Security Network" at 2016 IISS Shangri-La Dialogue
4,781 words
4 June 2016
ForeignAffairs.co.nz
PARALL
English
Copyright 2016. Multimedia Investments Ltd. All rights reserved.
MIL OSI -
Source: United States Department of Defense - Press Release/Statement:
Headline: Remarks on “Asia-Pacific’s Principled Security Network” at 2016 IISS Shangri-La Dialogue
Thank you, John. Good morning, everyone.
I want to thank John, first of all, for inviting me to speak again this year, and IISS also for again bringing us
together in this forum. For 15 years now - and by the way I attended the first Dialogue- IISS has been fostering
the discussions and debates that have shaped the dynamic Asia-Pacific’s security, stability, and prosperity in this
still young century. Thanks for doing so.
Thanks as well for the dinner last evening, which featured a thoughtful keynote by Thailand Prime Minister
Prayut.
And I’d also like to thank our national host Singapore for welcoming us again this year. To Prime Minister and
others, thank you. President Obama looks forward to hosting the Prime Minister in Washington in August. This
nation where we are right now - and its incredible rise - is the quintessential example of the remarkable progress
in this region over the past 70 years.
Miracle after miracle has occurred here…Japan, then Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore and Southeast Asia rose
and prospered, and now, China and India and others are rising and prospering.
And continued progress is being made daily - by young innovators in Hanoi, and at technology companies in
Mumbai; by the transition in Burma, and by avid consumers in China; the universities in Seoul, and in the
bustling Strait of Malacca that I flew over yesterday.
There are many who share the credit for this success. This region’s proud, industrious citizens first and foremost.
The statesmen in this region’s past, including the late Lee Kuan Yew, whom we continue to honor, and the many
statesmen among you today. The policymakers, business leaders, military officials, scholars, and non-
governmental leaders who’ve worked to make this region stable and prosperous. And, in addition to all these
individuals, it’s also to the credit of shared principles - principles that have long been accepted and collectively
upheld.
All that progress has led to historic change in the Asia-Pacific. Most of the change has been positive: country
after country is seeking to play a greater role in regional affairs, and that’s for the good. But not all change in the
region has been as constructive. Indeed, tensions in the South China Sea, North Korea’s continued nuclear and
missile provocations, and the dangers of violent extremism felt worldwide, pose challenges to the region’s
stability and prosperity.
And so as the region continues to change, forward-thinking statesmen and leaders must once again come
together to ensure a positive and principled future…one where everybody, and every nation, continues to have
the opportunity and freedom to rise, to prosper, and to win.
Thankfully, this room is full of such statesmen and leaders, and so is this region. And I want to talk with you all

about how we can come together: how we can continue to build a principled security network that will allow
additional waves of miracles and human progress and ensure regional stability and prosperity for years to come.
You may recall that at the end of my remarks last year, I projected conversations we might have at a future
Shangri-La Dialogue. If we continue to cooperate on security, I posited, we would one day be discussing a U.S.-
China-India multilateral maritime exercise, a Japan-Republic of Korea joint disaster response in the South China
Sea, and an ASEAN-wide security network.
Over the last year, we’ve made progress toward that vision. China and India will both participate once again in
the U.S.-hosted RIMPAC naval exercise this summer. Japan and the Republic of Korea are engaging with each
other in new ways. And, through and in addition to the ASEAN-centric security network that’s developing in
Southeast Asia, nations across the entire Asia-Pacific are increasingly working together - and networking
security together.
By doing so, our nations are making a choice for a principled and inclusive future, one as bright and miraculous
as the recent past. A future where every country - no matter how big or small - is free to make its own political,
economic, and military choices, free from coercion and intimidation. Where disputes are resolved peacefully;
and the freedoms of navigation and overflight, guaranteed by international law, are respected. And where, as a
result, every person and every nation has the opportunity to rise and prosper and win.
We all have an interest in realizing that future. And a responsibility to bring it about. Now, unlike elsewhere in
the world, peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific has never been managed by a region-wide, formal structure
comparable to NATO in Europe. That’s made sense for this region, with its unique history, geography, and
politics, and where bilateral relationships have long served as the bedrock of regional security.
And yet, as the region continues to change, and becomes more interconnected politically and economically, the
region’s militaries are also coming together in new ways. They’re building connections for a common purpose:
upholding the security and stability critical to a principled and prosperous future.
And these connections are now helping our countries plan together, exercise and train together, and operate
together, more effectively and efficiently than ever before.
Now, this growing Asia-Pacific security network includes but is more than some extension of existing alliances.
It weaves everyone’s relationships together - bilateral, trilateral, and multilateral - to help all of us do more, over
greater distances, with greater economy of effort. It enables us to take coordinated action to respond to
contingencies like humanitarian crises and disasters; to meet common challenges, such as terrorism; and to
ensure the security of and equal access to the global and regional commons, including vital waterways. You can
see this networked approach in our collective responses to Typhoon Haiyan in 2013 and the Nepal earthquake
last year.
Most importantly, this is a principled security network. It is inclusive, since any nation and any military - no
matter its capability, budget, or experience - can contribute. Everyone gets a voice, and no one is excluded, and
hopefully, no one excludes themselves. And as this security network reflects the principles our countries have
collectively promoted and upheld for decades, it will help us realize the principled future that many in the region
have chosen, and are working together toward.
By expanding the reach of all and by responsibly sharing the security burden, this principled network represents
the next wave in Asia-Pacific security.
And the United States is fully committed to this principled security network and to the Asia-Pacific’s principled
future. That’s because this region, which is home to nearly half the world’s population and nearly half of the
global economy, remains the most consequential for America’s own security and prosperity.
So even as the United States counters Russian aggression and coercion in Europe; as well as checks Iranian
aggression and malign influence in the Middle East; and also accelerates ISIL’s certain defeat, America’s
approach to the Asia-Pacific remains one of commitment, and strength, and inclusion.
Last Friday, I spoke with the newest class of American Navy and Marine Corps officers as they graduated from
the U.S. Naval Academy. These are some of the finest young men and women America has to offer. And I
explained to them that the United States has long and enduring diplomatic, economic, and security interests in

the Asia-Pacific. And their role in it.
As a result, the United States has for decades contributed to the region’s diplomatic, economic, and security
affairs, including during the many other times when some wrongly predicted an impending American withdrawal
from the Asia-Pacific.
In fact, decade after decade - in the 1970s, the 1980s, the 1990s, and the 2000s - we’ve heard that the United
States would cede its role as the primary security provider in the Asia-Pacific. And indeed, decade after decade -
day in, and day out - American soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines have worked here, most often with your
nations, to help ensure this region’s security and uphold a common set of principles for all our countries to
follow…so that every nation and everyone in this region could rise and prosper.
That’s been America’s objective and America’s practice for decades. Regardless of what else was going on at
home or in other parts of the world - during Democratic and Republican administrations, in times of surplus and
deficit, war and peace - the United States has remained economically, politically, and militarily engaged, as well
as of course geographically located, in the Asia-Pacific. And as I told those new officers, they will be doing the
same in the years ahead and over the course of their long careers.
That’s because U.S. engagement in the Asia-Pacific is in America’s interests. And the Congressional
representation here today - including Chairman McCain, Senators Barrasso, Cotton, Ernst, Gardner, Graham, and
Sullivan - demonstrates that America’s commitment to the region - and the rebalance to the Asia-Pacific in
particular - is not transient. It is enduring. And that’s because the logic of, and the need for, and the value of
American engagement in the Asia-Pacific is irrefutable. And it is proven over decades.
President Obama launched the rebalance to ensure the United States continued to approach this changing region
with commitment, strength, and inclusion. Indeed, the rebalance is an affirmative investment in - and a U.S.
Government-wide commitment to - the Asia-Pacific’s principled future.
Through the rebalance, the United States has reenergized our diplomacy in the region. Just look at the recent
months. The President hosted the first-ever U.S. ASEAN Summit at Sunnylands. President Obama made historic
visits to Vietnam and Japan just last week, his tenth trip to the region. I’m now on my fifth trip to the region -
and it won’t be my last. And my colleague and friend John Brennan, our CIA Director, is also attending the
Shangri-La Dialogue this weekend. Several of my Cabinet colleagues meanwhile will attend next week’s U.S.-
China Strategic and Economic Dialogue. Prime Minister Modi will be in Washington next week, and Prime
Minister Lee, as I said, will visit the next month. In other words, this is a busy month in a busy year but one that
is representative of America’s increased attention and engagement in the region.
The United States is also strengthening economic ties with the region. For example, over the last seven years,
U.S.-ASEAN trade has expanded by 55 percent. Since last year’s Shangri-La Dialogue, we’ve completed
negotiations on the important Trans-Pacific Partnership deal, or TPP, which will bind the United States more
closely together with 11 other economies, unlock economic opportunities for all of us, and guarantee a trade
system of high standard.
And the Defense Department for our part is operationalizing its part of the rebalance, too - cementing it for the
future. That means the United States will remain, for decades, the primary provider of regional security and a
leading contributor to the region’s principled security network.
To do so, the Defense Department is continuing to send its best people - including some of those new Naval
officers and Marines I spoke with last week - and also its most advanced capabilities to the Asia-Pacific. That
includes F-22 and F-35 stealth fighter jets, P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, continuous deployments of B-2
and B-52 bombers, and our newest surface warfare ships.
The Defense Department is also investing in new capabilities critical to the rebalance. We’re growing the
number of surface ships and making each of them more capable, and we’re investing in Virginia-class
submarines, new undersea drones, the new B-21 Long-Range Strike Bomber, as well as in areas like cyber, and
electronic warfare, and space.
The Defense Department maintains its world-leading capabilities because the United States has made
incomparable investments in it over decades. As a result, it will take decades or more for anyone to build the
kind of military capability the United States possesses. This strength is not simply about dollar figures. We

harness those dollars to America’s innovative and technological culture to develop revolutionary technologies.
And that military edge is strengthened and honed in unrivaled and hard-earned operational experience over the
past 15 years. No other military possesses this kind of skill and agility backed by this much experience.
The Defense Department is also developing innovative strategies, operational concepts. And the U.S. military is
practicing these new ideas in training exercises, both on our own and with partners, none larger than this
summer’s RIMPAC, which will bring together 27 countries for an opportunity to network.
As RIMPAC demonstrates, America’s defense relationships with allies and partners are the foundation of U.S.
engagement in the Asia-Pacific, and those relationships are expanding, modernizing. While it would take me too
long to go through every valuable partnership, you can see the breadth and depth of our bilateral efforts with
some of the actions the United States and its allies and partners have taken just since last year’s Shangri-La
Dialogue.
For example, the U.S.-Japan alliance remains the cornerstone of Asia-Pacific security. And with the new Defense
Guidelines that Minister Nakatani and I signed last year, the U.S.-Japan alliance has never been stronger, or more
capable of contributing to security around the region and beyond.
Similarly, the U.S.-Australia alliance is, more and more, a global one. As our two nations work together to
uphold the freedom of navigation and overflight across this region, we’re also accelerating the defeat of ISIL
together in Iraq and Syria.
America’s alliance with the Philippines is as close as it has been in decades. Through the new, landmark
Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, or EDCA, the United States is supporting the modernization of the
Philippine Armed Forces. EDCA provides the opportunity for American and Filipino military personnel to
regularly train, exercise, and operate together, including through new joint maritime patrols.
Another developing partnership, the U.S.-India military relationship, is as close as it’s ever been. Through our
strategic handshake - with the United States reaching west in its rebalance, and India reaching east in Prime
Minister Modi’s Act East policy - our two nations are exercising together by air, land, and sea. And there’s also a
technological handshake: we’re moving toward deeper and more diverse defense co-development and co-
production, including on aircraft carrier design and construction. Minister Parrikar and I will identify new ways
to cooperate in advance of Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Washington next week.
Meanwhile, President Obama’s historic visit to Hanoi last week was the latest demonstration of the dramatically-
strengthened U.S.-Vietnam partnership. Thanks in part to the leadership of Senator McCain, who is present here
today, the United States has lifted the ban on lethal weapons sales to Vietnam. Now Vietnam will have greater
access to the military equipment it needs.
Finally, the U.S.-Singapore relationship continues to grow. Just yesterday, I flew over the Strait of Malacca with
my counterpart Minister Ng in one of the American P-8 surveillance aircraft that’s now part of a rotational
deployment here. That rotation is one of the many examples, including Singapore’s hosting four American
littoral combat ships, of how our two countries are working together to build cooperation, provide security, and
respond to crises in Southeast Asia.
And it’s reflective of a growing trend. Indeed, even as the United States will remain the most powerful military
and main underwriter of security in the region for decades to come - and there should be no doubt about that -
those growing bilateral relationships demonstrate that nations around the region are also committed to doing
more to promote continued regional security and prosperity. That’s why the Asia-Pacific’s principled security
network is growing.
And as the region changes and the rebalance is solidified, the United States is and will continue using its unique
capabilities, experience, and influence to enhance the region’s security network - always contributing with
commitment, strength, and inclusion.
For example, we’re moving out on the Maritime Security Initiative I announced at this Dialogue last year. This
initiative represents a $425-million-dollar, five-year, American commitment to multilateral security cooperation
that aims to establish a maritime security network in Southeast Asia.
In the Initiative’s first year, the United States is helping the Philippines enhance its National Coast Watch Center

and improving reconnaissance and maritime sensors; helping Vietnam train to develop future unmanned
maritime capabilities; providing Indonesia and Malaysia with communications equipment and training; and
working with Thailand on processing information at fusion centers.
More than simply providing money or hardware, the United States is helping these five countries connect with
each other and develop a networked approach to regional challenges. Those capabilities, those connections, and
that U.S. partnership will allow these countries to see more, share more, and do more to ensure maritime security
throughout Southeast Asia.
This initiative demonstrates the promise of a principled security network - nations building connections for a
common cause, planning and training together, and eventually operating in a coordinated way. Throughout the
Asia-Pacific, more and more nations are similarly coming together in three key ways.
First, some pioneering trilateral mechanisms are bringing together like-minded allies and partners to maximize
individual contributions and connect nations that previously worked together only bilaterally.
For example, the U.S.-Japan-Republic of Korea trilateral partnership helps us coordinate responses to North
Korean provocations. And I’m pleased to announce that the United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea will
conduct a trilateral ballistic missile warning exercise later this month.
And two other trilateral relationships - U.S.-Japan-Australia and U.S.-Japan-India - are also growing thanks, in
part to exercises. We’ve agreed to hold, and begun planning on, additional U.S.-Japan-Australia trilateral
exercises. And through joint activities like this year’s MALABAR Exercise, the U.S.-Japan-India trilateral
relationship is starting to provide real, practical security cooperation that spans the entire region from the Indian
Ocean to the Western Pacific.
We’re also seeing trilateral cooperation around other initiatives. For example, the United States and Thailand
included Laos in a successful bilateral program, and now our three nations are training together on explosive
ordnance disposal.
Second - and moving beyond trilateral relationships involving the United States - many countries within the
Asia-Pacific are coming together on their own: strengthening and developing bilateral relationships, and also
creating trilateral arrangements.
Japan and Vietnam, for example, are collaborating on new joint maritime exercises. Japan is also working to
build the capacity of the Philippine maritime forces. And India is increasing its training with Vietnam’s military
and coast guard on their common platforms.
The Japan-Australia-India trilateral meeting last June was a welcome development and addition to the region’s
security network. And Indonesia has proposed trilateral joint maritime patrols with Malaysia and the Philippines,
including counter-piracy patrols in the Sulu Sea. The United States welcomes and encourages…encourages these
burgeoning partnerships among like-minded partners who share our vision of a principled regional order.
Third and even more broadly, all of our nations are creating a networked, multilateral regional security
architecture - from one end of the region to the other - through the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting-Plus. At
Sunnylands in February, ASEAN demonstrated again why it is a model for the principled future we all want for
the Asia-Pacific. In the summit declaration, the region committed to maintaining peace, security, and stability
and to upholding shared principles in the region, including the freedom of navigation and overflight.
ADMM-Plus fills the growing need for an action-oriented, ASEAN-centric regional institution that builds trust,
facilitates practical multilateral security cooperation, and brings the region together to meet these commitments.
I want to thank Laos for its leadership of ADMM-Plus this year.
And I’m pleased to announce that in September, the United States and Laos will co-host an informal defense
ministers’ dialogue in Hawaii, with all of the ASEAN countries, to follow-up on Sunnylands commitments,
discuss common interests, and find new ways to network regional security.
As we weave these bilateral, trilateral, and multilateral relationships together, it’s important to remember that this
principled network is not aimed at any particular country: it is open and excludes no one. This means that as
nations want to contribute to regional stability and security, they can work together with other nations in the

network to do so.
The United States welcomes the emergence of a peaceful, stable, and prosperous China that plays a responsible
role in the region’s principled security network. We know China’s inclusion makes for a stronger network and a
more stable, secure, and prosperous region.
In all of our interactions with our Chinese counterparts, the United States consistently encourages China to take
actions that uphold - and do not undercut - the shared principles that have served so many in Asia-Pacific so
well.
The region will be stronger, safer, and more prosperous when all countries are working toward a common vision
in which shared principles are upheld, all countries enjoy equal treatment irrespective of their size or strength,
and disputes are resolved peacefully and lawfully.
Unfortunately, there is growing anxiety in this region, and in this room, about China’s activities on the seas, in
cyberspace, and in the region’s airspace. Indeed, in the South China Sea, China has taken some expansive and
unprecedented actions that have generated concerns about China’s strategic intentions.
And countries across the region have been taking action and voicing concerns publicly and privately, at the
highest levels, in regional meetings, and global fora. As a result, China’s actions in the South China Sea are
isolating it, at a time when the entire region is coming together and networking. Unfortunately, if these actions
continue, China could end up erecting a Great Wall of self-isolation.
Now, the United States is not a claimant in the current disputes in the South China Sea. And we do not take a
position on which claimant has the superior sovereignty claim over the disputed land features.
But, the United States will stand with regional partners to uphold core principles, like freedom of navigation and
overflight, and the peaceful resolution of disputes through legal means and in accordance with international law.
As I affirmed here last year and America’s Freedom of Navigation Operations in the South China Sea have
demonstrated, the United States will continue to fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows, so that
everyone in the region can do the same.
And the United States will work with all Asia-Pacific nations to ensure these core principles apply just as equally
in the vital South China Sea as they do everywhere else. Because only when everyone plays by the same rules
can we avoid the mistakes of the past, like when countries challenged one another in contests of strength and
will, with disastrous consequences for the region.
The United States views the upcoming ruling by the UN Arbitral Tribunal on the South China Sea as an
opportunity for China and the rest of the region to recommit to a principled future, to renewed diplomacy, and to
lowering tensions, rather than raising them. All of us should come together to ensure that this opportunity is
realized.
The United States remains committed to working with China to ensure a principled future. Our two countries
have a long-standing military-to-military relationship. We recently completed two confidence-building measures,
one on maritime rules of behavior and another on crisis communications. The regular U.S.-China Military
Maritime Consultative Agreement talks were just held in Hawaii. And China will also be back at RIMPAC this
year. In fact, the United States and China plan to sail together from Guam to Hawaii for RIMPAC, conducting
several exercise events along the way, including an event to practice search-and-rescue.
And the United States wants to strengthen those ties. I plan, at President Xi’s invitation, to discuss this deeper
cooperation as well as the concerns I’ve outlined here, when I travel to Beijing later this year. America wants to
expand military-to-military agreements with China to focus not only on risk reduction, but also on practical
cooperation. Our two militaries can all also work together, bilaterally or as part of the principled security
network, to meet a number of challenges - like terrorism and piracy - in the Asia-Pacific and around the world.
After all, both our nations share so many interests. And we face many of the same global challenges. The United
States expects and welcomes a China that plays a responsible role in world affairs commensurate with its wealth
and potential influence. Together in a network represented by all the delegates in this room, we all can do so
much. And the United States wants to work with China to find solutions for the global problems we’re both

facing and seize the many opportunities before us.
By networking security together, the United States, China, and all others in the region can continue to ensure
stability and prosperity in a dynamic region. We can become more interconnected; we can develop greater
interoperability; we can innovate together on shared capabilities. And we can continue to ensure that this region’s
historic change becomes historic progress…giving everyone and every nation in the Asia-Pacific the opportunity
to rise and prosper and win.
Through a principled security network, we can all meet the challenges we’re facing together - whether it’s
Russia’s worrying actions, North Korea’s nuclear and missile provocations, the threat posed by extremists
groups, or the growing strategic impact of climate change. These challenges and others are real for all of us who
live in the Asia-Pacific. But so are the opportunities: for nations, for militaries, and for the people of the Asia-
Pacific. Across the region, there are economic miracles still to occur, military relationships still to strengthen,
and populations still to educate, empower, and enrich.
To realize these opportunities, the Asia-Pacific will need continued stability and security. It is said of this region,
that security is like oxygen. When you have enough of it, you pay no attention to it. But when you don’t have
enough, you can think of nothing else.
For many years, the United States - along with its allies and partners - helped provide oxygen in this it. But by
networking regional security together, we can all contribute more, and in different ways. In the years ahead, as
we continue to realize this brighter, principled future, providing the region’s oxygen will more and more become
a networked effort.
Through the region’s principled security network, all of us will provide that oxygen - Americans and Filipinos,
Chinese and Indians, Singaporeans and Japanese, Australians and Malaysians, Koreans and Kiwis, and many,
many more. Together, we will provide the security that enables millions upon millions of people all around the
Asia-Pacific to continue to rise and prosper, to be safe, to raise their children, dream their dreams, and live lives
that are full.
At a time of great change in this region, and in many of our home countries, all of us must defend the security,
stability, and principles that have meant so much to the Asia-Pacific. To do so, we may change how we network,
how we plan, and how we operate. But we can never change why we’re networking, and what we’re networking
for: for our security and shared interests…for the principles that have benefited so many for so long…and for
that principled future where everyone can continue to rise and prosper.
That is the future many of us in this room spend our days working toward. I thank you for that dedication. But
we’re not finished yet. We have work still to do. And I look forward to collaborating, and networking, with each
of you - in the days, weeks, and years ahead - to realize this region’s principled future.
Thank you.
Document PARALL0020160604ec64000gp

Top of the News
The US; China urged to participate in Asia security network
Walter Sim
943 words
5 June 2016
The Straits Times
STIMES
English
Defence chief says it will boost coordination during crises and ensure security of resources
The United States welcomes China's participation in a "principled security network" for Asia, Defence Secretary
Ashton Carter said yesterday, as he stressed the US' commitment to the region.
Such a network is inclusive and countries can contribute to it regardless of size, military might, budget or
experience, he said.
This will allow for better coordination to manage humanitarian crises and meet challenges such as terrorism - on
top of ensuring the security of, and access to, resources such as vital waterways, he told delegates at the IISS
Shangri-La Dialogue security forum yesterday.
"The US is fully committed to this principled security network and to the Asia-Pacific's principled future. That's
because this region... remains the most consequential for America's own security and prosperity," he said.
"Regardless of what else was going on at home or in other parts of the world - during Democratic and
Republican administrations, in times of surplus and deficit, war and peace - the US has remained economically,
politically and militarily engaged, as well as geographically located in the Asia-Pacific."
Why China is in the spotlight
Exchange between Professor Jia Qingguo, dean of the School of International Studies at Peking University, and
US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter at the Shangri-La Dialogue during the question-and-answer segment of Dr
Carter's speech: Prof Jia: I think the dispute between China and the US over the South China Sea has been
overblown. It is only part of the relationship between our two countries which is huge, vast and complicated.
This issue probably should be put into proper perspective.
Secondly, I think the artificial islands - China's practice is not an exception, I think a lot of countries have
engaged in this kind of practice, including Vietnam, the Philippines, even Japan and South Korea. So why focus
on China?
Also, both China and the US are committed to this principle (of freedom of navigation in the high seas).
However, there is one difference, that is, China believes that this does not give other countries the right to (sail
and fly) military ships and aircraft close to other countries' coasts even though it's in the high seas. But the US
believes that it is important to maintain this right... My question is why does the US attach so much importance
to the right to send ships and aircraft to conduct activities near other countries' coasts? Dr Carter: What we stand
for is the principle of rule of law and abiding by international law in the commons, which means freedom of
navigation in the sea and in the air. It's not a focus on China, it is a focus on principle.
The reason that people are focusing on China this year is because China is doing by far and away more of this

kind of reclamation and militarisation than any other party... It's China's actions that are causing the attention, but
the attention is occasioned by a concern of the principles of peaceful resolution of disputes, non-coercion and
freedom of navigation, which are important principles to everyone in the region.
I'd say that from a global perspective, from a regional perspective and a principle perspective, these actions by
anyone, and especially by China in the last couple of years, are destabilising and self-isolating, which is
regrettable since our vision, the American vision of security for this region, as I indicated, is one of (an) inclusive
security network.
And given the rise of China, the US "expects and welcomes a China that plays a responsible role in world affairs
commensurate with its wealth and potential influence".
This is why the US has "consistently encouraged China to take actions that uphold - and do not undercut - shared
principles".
Dr Carter used the word "principled" at least 38 times during the hour-long session to stress his point, and said
the US wants to expand its military agreements with China so as to focus "not only on risk reduction, but also on
practical cooperation".
He noted the longstanding military relationship between the two major powers, under which two exercises - on
maritime rules of behaviour and on crisis communications - were completed recently.
On top of that, China will also be sending five ships to join the US-hosted Rim of the Pacific naval exercise this
year, he noted.
Under these "principled security networks", every country will be "free to make its own political, economic and
military choices, free from coercion and intimidation". And underpinning this freedom would be the peaceful
resolution of disputes and a respect for the freedoms of navigation and overflight as guaranteed by international
norms.
carter4.jpg
Related Story
US warns China against 'Great Wall of self-isolation'
ST_20160605_GUAN05_2343850.jpg
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FPDA 'now more vital than ever'
Mr Timothy Heath, senior international defence research analyst at US-based think-tank Rand Corporation, told
The Sunday Times that China will likely respond to such calls to abide by international rules and norms by
agreeing to support them. But he added that China will likely argue that these rules "need to be reformed to
reflect the reality of Chinese power and preferences".
Dr Carter told delegates at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue security forum yesterday that the Asia-Pacific region
"remains the most consequential for America's own security and prosperity".
Document STIMES0020160604ec65001nj

Top of the News
China, Russia to hold joint naval drill in South China Sea
Kor Kian BengChina Bureau Chief In Beijing

616 words
29 July 2016
The Straits Times
STIMES
English
China and Russia will hold their annual joint naval exercise in the South China Sea for the first time in
September, potentially escalating regional tensions that have yet to subside after an international ruling against
Beijing's territorial claims in the waterway.
China's Defence Ministry yesterday confirmed speculation since last month by Chinese and Russian media that
the drill this year would take place in the South China Sea.
In a response to media queries posted on the ministry's website, spokesman Yang Yujun said the drill aims to
deepen military cooperation and capability against maritime security threats.
He also repeated China's stock phrase that it is a routine exercise and not targeted at any third-party countries.
China and Russia, whose ties have deepened under President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir
Putin, have held joint exercises since 2012 in the Yellow Sea, the Sea of Japan, the East China Sea and the
Mediterranean Sea.
ST_20160729_SSASEAN_2478085.jpg
Related Story
South China Sea dispute: Asean voice drowned out as big powers pipe up
st_20160729_stbihughjulyn_24792812.jpg
Related Story
Asia - a community governed by law or power?
Chinese analysts said it was only a matter of time that the drill would be held in the South China Sea, as it is the
only remaining area in China's backyard that has not been used for an exercise.
But there is strategic motivation for China to pick the site this year, in the wake of the July 12 ruling by an
arbitration tribunal in The Hague that invalidated Beijing's historic claims in the South China Sea.
Dr Zhu Feng, executive director at Nanjing University's China Centre for Collaborative Studies of the South
China Sea, said China wants to show it is not isolated over its handling of the territorial dispute.
"Given that the United States and its allies are not ceasing military patrols in the region, China has roped in
Russia for a joint flexing of muscles," he told The Straits Times.
China, which refused to take part in the arbitration case initiated by the Philippines in 2013, has rejected the
verdict on the basis that the tribunal had exceeded its powers by ruling on issues of territorial sovereignty. It has
also slammed the US for stoking tensions through its freedom of navigation patrols, which were held to
challenge China's territorial claims.

There were no details yesterday on the exact location and timing of the joint exercise, nor its scale.
Analysts say it is unlikely to overlap with a Group of 20 summit taking place in coastal Hangzhou from Sept 4-5,
as China is keen to project itself as a facilitator of global cooperation, rather than an aggressor.
Senior fellow William Choong of the International Institute for Strategic Studies said the US response to the drill
would depend on its scale and, more importantly, whether it is held near the disputed Spratlys, the subject of the
arbitration case.
As a show of force, China held two military exercises - one before and one after the arbitration ruling - in the
South China Sea, although they were not near the Spratlys but closer to the southern Hainan island.
"The joint exercise will be seen as an ill-timed and ill-intentioned move by China that could aggravate tensions,
just when many thought the ruling has provided legal closure," Dr Choong said.
Crew members of China's South Sea Fleet taking part in a drill in the Xisha Islands, or the Paracel Islands in the
South China Sea.
Document STIMES0020160728ec7t0047w

Events due in Moscow, Russia, CIS and Baltic countries on August 1-7, 2016
1,613 words
1 August 2016
05:37
Interfax: Russia & CIS Announcements
RUSANN
English
(c) 2016 Interfax Information Services, B.V.
(changes are possible for reasons beyond Interfax' control)
The bulletin comes out weekly. This is issue No. 32-2
MONDAY, August 1, 2016
In Moscow:
10 a.m. Presentation and pitch of the film projects eligible for state subsidies
Venue: Great Hall, Culture Ministry (7 Maly Gnezdnikovsky Pereulok)
Tel.: +7 (495) 629-10-10 (ext. 1715); e-mail: pressa@mkrf.ru.
11 a.m. Roundtable
Subject: Development of Far East
Participants: Far East Development Minister A. Galushka, experts
Venue: Representation office of Sakha Republic in Moscow (3/1, Myasnitsky proyezd)
Phone: +7 (495) 531-06-39, +7 (985) 269-77-02
E-mail: press@minvr.ru
11 a.m. Press conference
Subject: Results of nomination of candidates for Moscow region parliament
Speakers: Moscow region elections commission I. Konovalova and others
Venue: Interfax (2, Pervaya Tverskaya-Yamskaya ulitsa)
Phone: +7 (495) 223-66-99
Noon Action
Subject: Commemoration of WW I victims
Venue: WW I memorial (12, Novopeschanaya ulitsa)
Phone: +7 (495) 800-10-01 (ext.: 2535)
E-mail: estrelkov@synergy.ru
3 p.m. Press conference
Subject: Results of visit of French MPs to Crimea

Speaker: French MP T. Mariani, State Duma CIS affairs committee head L. Slutsky
Venue: Tass news agency (2, Tverskoi boulevard)
Phone: +7 (499) 791-03-87, +7 (926) 608-08-16
3 p.m. Session of Central Elections Commission
Venue: Central Elections Commission (9, Bolshoi Cherkassky pereulok)
Phone: +7 (495) 606-13-25, +7 (915) 307-88-15
E-mail: zapros@cikrf.ru
Subject: the results of the hotline service to prevent failings in the organizing of children's summer holiday
Speaker: V. Slepak, chairman of the Public chamber commission for social policy, labor relations and the quality
of citizens' life
Venue: Russia Today news agency (4 Zubovsky Boulevard)
E-mail: accreditation@rian.ru.
Presnensky District Court to hear a criminal case against actor V. Nikolayev charged with violence against a
police officer.
Lyublinsky District Court to consider replacing A. Navalny's suspended sentence in the Yves Rocher case with a
real prison term.
Moscow Regional court to continue hearing the case of the GTA gang whose members are accused of killings on
the roads in Moscow region.
New rules come into effect allowing motorists in Moscow to pay parking fees by calling from a mobile phone.
In Russia and worldwide:
Russia reduces oil export duty to from $95.9 to $90.1 per tonne
Imports of animal feed and feed supplements from Ukraine are banned amid GMO concerns.
The Agriculture Ministry begins preparations for grain procurement interventions from the 2016 harvest.
The Central Bank raises the reserve requirements for banks, in rubles and in foreign currencies, by 0.75%.
Khimki (Moscow region),
Noon Open doors day at facilities of Russian national basketball team
E-mail: pressa@russiabasket.ru
St. Petersburg,
Professional contest for military doctors
Participant: Deputy Defense Minister R. Tsalikov and others
Toll road opens on the M4 "Don" road (93 to 211 km) in the Moscow and Tula regions.

Ivanovo,
Interfax press conference
Subject: roadworks in the Ivanovo region in the first half of 2016
Speakers: regional officials in charge of roadworks and transport
Yaroslavl,
Yaroslval region court to pronounce verdict in case of dismissing Yaroslavl mayor Ye. Urlashov charged with
bribery
Yeisk military range (Krasnodar territory),
July 1-11: Clear Skies contest as part of International Army Games 2016
Tyumen,
Press conference at Interfax
Subject: Sanitary and epidemiological situation in Tyumen region in H1
Vladivostok,
August 1-6: Forum of border guards of northern part of Pacific Ocean
Yekaterinburg,
Interfax press conference
Subject: a new business award for Sverdlovsk regional business community
Speakers: local representatives of business and industrialists.
Chelyabinsk region,
A preliminary arbitration hearing in a 149.-54 million ruble lawsuit filed by Gazprom Gas-distribution
Chelyabinsk against Kombinat Magnezit.
Ufa,
Urals District Arbitration Court is hearing a case on whether Blagoveshchenski Armaturny Zavod should pay
8.028 million rubles to the Bashkortostan office of the federal agency overseeing the use natural for dumping
slag outside the steel mill's territory.
Nizhny Novgorod,
A regional arbitration is hearing a case filed by Miriad Rus challenging a resolution by the board of directors and
shareholders at Gazprom Gas Distribution Nizhny Novgorod concerning an additional issue of the company's
shares in favor of three private companies.
Ukraine,
Announcement of results of selection of city that will host Eurovision 2017
Belarus,
Reduces export duties on crude oil and petroleum products exported outside the customs area of the Eurasian

Economic Union.
Georgia,
A law simplifying a land registration procedure comes into effect.
Turkey,
Visit by Rosselkhoznadzor inspectors
OPEC's new Secretary General M. Barkindo assumes office.
TUESDAY, August 2, 2016
In Moscow:
Session of Eurasian Economic Commission
10 a.m. Opening ceremony
Subject: Forum of young CIS diplomats
Participants: Deputy foreign ministers G. Karasin, S. Ryabkov, Federation Council foreign affairs committee
head K. Kosachyov, State Duma CIS affairs committee head L. Slutsky and others
Venue: Novotel Moscow City (2, Presnenskaya naberezhnaya)
Phone: +7 (916) 487-43-54
E-mail: midbriefing@yandex.ru
10 a.m. Meeting
Participants: Labor and Social Security Minister M. Topilin, members of regional public chambers
Venue: Public Chamber (7/1, Miusskaya square)
Phone: +7 (495) 221-83-61
Events due at Tass news agency (2, Tverskoi boulevard, phone: +7 (499) 791-03-87, +7 (926) 608-08-16):
Noon Press conference
Subject: Socio-economic development of Omsk region
Speaker: Omsk region governor V. Nazarov
Subject: Start of contest of young film directors creating accessible environment for people with disabilities
Speakers: Culture Ministry senior official Ye. Guseva, Rosmolodezh deputy chief S. Chuyev and others
Noon Roundtable
Subject: Elections 2016. Tougher social rhetoric: risks or window of opportunities
Participants: Experts
Venue: Russia Today news agency (4, Zubovsky boulevard)

Phone: +7 (495) 645-64-72
E-mail: accreditation@rian.ru
Noon Press conference
Subject: 2016 FIM Junior Motocross World Championship
Speaker: Deputy Sports Minister P. Kolobkov and others
Venue: National News Service (39/2, Narodnogo Opolcheniya ulitsa)
Phone: +7 (495) 925-04-49, +7 (916) 107-77-34
3 p.m. Meeting of Natural Resources Ministry's collegium
Subject: Protection of forests from wildfires
Participants: Natural Resources Minister S. Donskoi, Rosleskhoz chief I. Valentik, Federation Council
agriculture committee head G. Gorbunov, State Duma natural resources committee head V. Kashin and others
Venue: Natural Resources Ministry (4/6, Bolshaya Gruzinskaya ulitsa)
Phone: +7 (499) 254-16-00
E-mail: pr@mnr.gov.ru
Festival
Subject: Day of Airborne Troops
Venue: Red Square
Phone: +7 (495) 730-27-54
E-mail: ilias.prof@gmail.com
http://www.iliynden.ru
Moscow City Court to check legality of arrest of Investigative Committee's internal security department chief M.
Maksimenko suspected of accepting a bribe
Moscow City Court to check legality of home arrest for Moscow's Yardyam mosque imam M. Velitov suspected
of justifying terrorism
Day of Airborne Troops
Volzhsky military range (Volgograd region),
Safe Route and Engineering Formula contests as part of International Army Games 2016
Vladivostok,
Opening ceremony
Subject: Joint headquarters of Joint Strike naval exercise involving Russia, Canada, China, Japan, South Korea
and the United States

Ankara (Turkey),
Meeting
Subject: Russian-Turkish interaction in tourism sphere
Participant: Rosturizm chief O. Safonov
WEDNESDAY, August 3, 2016
In Moscow:
9.30 a.m. Forum of young CIS diplomats
Participants: Deputy Foreign Minister S. Ryabkov and others
Venue: Gorchakov Foundation mansion (10/1, Yakovoapostolsky pereulok)
Phone: +7 (916) 487-43-54
E-mail: midbriefing@yandex.ru
10 a.m. Roundtable
Subject: Russian-Croatian humanitarian cooperation
Phone: +7 (495) 221-83-61
Steregushchyeye village (Crimea),
Youth educational forum
Participants: Presidential advisor V. Tolstoi and others
Minsk (Belarus),
Meeting of Trilateral Contract Group for Ukraine
THURSDAY, August 4, 2016
In Moscow:
Noon Roundtable
Subject: Consolidation of compatriots in conditions of sanctions
Participants: Officials, MPs, compatriots and others
Phone: +7 (495) 221-83-61
5 p.m. Photo exhibition
Subject: ASEAN member states: view from Russia

Participant: Culture Minister V. Medinsky
Venue: Muzeon park
Phone: +7 (968) 760-88-66
E-mail: expofoto@mail.ru
Moscow City Court to check legality of arrest of deputy chief of Moscow department of Investigative
Committee D. Nikandrov suspected of corruption
Oryol,
Day of city
Sochi,
August 4-7: Sochi Jazz Festival
Vladivostok,
Joint Strike naval exercise involving Russia, Canada, China, Japan, South Korea and the United States
FRIDAY, August 5, 2016
In Moscow:
Honey fair
Venue: Kolomenskoye park
Phone: +7 (916) 368-17-46, +7 (916) 938-14-37
E-mail: pressamgomz@mail.ru
Irkutsk,
Meeting of transport subcommittee of commission for preparing regular meetings of Russian and Chinese prime
ministers
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil),
August 5-21: Olympic Games
SATURDAY, August 6, 2016
In Moscow:
1 p.m. Festival of German traditions
Venue: VDNKh (119, Prospekt Mira)
Phone: +7 (926) 916-47-69, +7 (926) 369-43-87
E-mail: myasnikova@zeppelinpro.com, elena@omegatv.ru

Day of Railroad Troops
Vladimir region,
August 6-7: Festival of folklore traditions
Iturup island,
August 6 - September 2: Iturup forum
SUNDAY, August 7, 2016
In Moscow:
No announcement yet available
No announcement yet available
Document RUSANN0020160731ec7v0002t

NAVAL MOBILE CONSTRUCTION BATTALION 4 PARTICIPATES IN CARAT INDONESIA 2016
503 words
12 September 2016
US Fed News
INDFED
English
Copyright 2016. HT Media Limited. All rights reserved.
SURABAYA, Indonesia, Sept. 12 -- The U.S. Navy issued the following news release:
Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 4 participated in joint construction operations
in support of the 22nd annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Indonesia exercise, from
July 21 to Sept. 3.
CARAT is a series of annual multilateral military exercises conducted by the United States Pacific Fleet with
several member nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The exercise focuses on
increasing interoperability and advancing regional stability within Southeast Asia. Engineering activities support
maritime security, contingency and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR) response through the
targeted demonstration and practical application of innovative design and construction. This year's naval
exercise series was between the United States and Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand,
Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Timor Leste.
The Seabees and Indonesian TNI-AL ZENI battalion were tasked with planning, estimating, budgeting and
constructing a school in a 44-day timeframe. The Seabees and Indonesian personnel built friendships and
strengthened professional skills during joint construction operations on a two-room school house for local
students.
"I believe education is a right that every child should have; being given the opportunity to build a school so that
more children from the community can attend class is an honor that I will take with me for the rest of my life,"
said Utilitiesman Constructionman Jacob Brown. "The partnership that we built with the Indonesian marines is
also something I will never forget, and I'm excited to share the memories and stories with others."
The construction team, students and Cemandi community members attended the ribbon cutting ceremony, Sept.
3, officially opening the school house. Commodore, Destroyer Squadron (COMDESRON) 7, Capt. H.B. Le
expressed his gratitude to the team for their hard work during his speech as the honorary guest. The ceremony
concluded with food, singing, dancing performances and the official signing of the school opening.
"It's been such a great opportunity for the Seabees to work alongside our TNI-AL counterparts here in
Indonesia," said Ensign Michelle Fitzgerald. "Not only have we been able to learn from each other's construction
methods, we have truly strengthened our partnership and built lasting friendships. By working together as one
unit, we were able to give back to the community by building a school house that will be used for years to
come."
NMCB 4 is the forward-deployed Pacific NMCB ready to support major combat operations and humanitarian
assistance and disaster relief operations and to provide general engineering and civil support to Navy, Marine
Corps and joint operational forces. Homeported out of Port Hueneme, California, NMCB 4 has detachment sites
deployed throughout the United States and Pacific area of operations, including Cambodia, Diego Garcia, Guam,
Japan, Philippines, Republic of Korea and Timor Leste.
Document INDFED0020160914ec9c006aq

IN BRIEF (Page 2)
1,883 words
16 September 2016
China Daily-Africa Weekly
CDAFWE
2
English
Copyright 2016, China Daily Multimedia Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
It's anchors aweigh in South China Sea
The China-Russia navy drill, taking place for the first time in the South China Sea, is expected to improve the
navies' combined ability to counter "common security threats", said Wang Hai, deputy commander of the
Chinese navy. The drill is being held in the eastern waters off Zhanjiang, Guangdong's southernmost city, where
the Chinese Nanhai Fleet is headquartered. This is the fifth annual naval exercise between China and Russia.
China has also taken part in Russia's international military competition for two consecutive years.
Nations pledge to safeguard stability
China and Vietnam vowed on Sept 12 to properly manage differences over the South China Sea and to
strengthen maritime cooperation to enhance bilateral ties. The pledge came when Premier Li Keqiang met with
visiting Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, who led a delegation of 132 members for a six-day trip,
his first to China since becoming prime minister in July. The South China Sea issue concerns China's territorial
sovereignty and maritime rights, and both countries should work together to safeguard stability at sea by
managing differences and promoting maritime cooperation, Li reportedly told Phuc.
First space base to be built in Wuhan
Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province, has been chosen as the location for China's first national commercial
space industry base, which will focus on the development of carrier rockets and satellites, launch services and
applications of satellite data. The base aims to have an annual production capacity of 50 carrier rockets and 140
commercial satellites by 2020, Zhang Di, deputy director of the Fourth Academy of China Aerospace Science
and Industry Corp, said after a signing ceremony between his company and local officials on Sept 12.
ATL to provide replacement batteries
China's Amperex Technology Ltd says it has started to supply batteries for Samsung Electronics Co's Galaxy
Note 7 smartphone, after faulty batteries prompted a worldwide recall of the handset. Battery shipments from
ATL, based in Hong Kong, will increase greatly, according to a manager who declined to give his name. He did
not provide the number of batteries to be shipped. ATL also offers batteries for other domestic and foreign
smartphone manufacturers.
Beijing, Ottawa to work out an extradition treaty
China and Canada agreed on Sept 12 to begin discussions on a bilateral extradition treaty that would facilitate
the return of corrupt fugitive Chinese officials at large in Canada. The agreement was reached at the China-
Canada High-Level National Security and Rule of Law Dialogue in Beijing, where discussions were held on
ways to improve cooperation on issues such as law enforcement, combating transnational organized crime,
judicial cooperation and exchanges on the rule of law.
Global satellite network to boost internet
China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, the nation's largest missile developer, plans to build a space
information network that will provide global coverage. Liu Shiquan, deputy general manager of the state-owned

space and defense giant, said on Sept 12 that the company will put 156 communications satellites into low Earth
orbit, at an altitude of 160 to 2,000 km. Each satellite will be able to transmit 500 megabytes of data per second,
Liu said.
More charging stations on way
China will accelerate construction of charging facilities for electric vehicles in residential areas to boost
production and sales of green cars, the country's top economic planner said in Beijing on Sept 12. More charging
stations will be built in Beijing, Tianjin, pilot cities in the provinces of Hebei and Shandong and major cities in
the Yangtze River and Pearl River deltas, according to a document released by the National Development and
Reform Commission and three other central departments.
Chinese Muslims observe 4-day feast
Muslims across China celebrated one of Islam's biggest holidays on Sept 12 as they gathered to pray and
sacrifice animals in accordance with religious dietary laws. Eid al-Adha Festival, or the Feast of Sacrifice, is
marked by wearing new clothes, taking part in morning prayers, and sacrificing sheep or cattle. The Islamic
Association of China held a reception in Beijing on Sept 12, inviting state dignitaries including Vice-Premier Liu
Yandong and Sun Chunlan, head of the United Front Work Department of the Communist Party of China Central
Committee, as well as envoys from Islamic countries.
Sections linked on world's highest bridge
Beipanjiang Bridge in Guizhou province, southwestern China, is expected to open to traffic by the end of the
year. The 1,341-meter structure, which soars 565 meters above a river, is the world's highest bridge, according to
Guizhou transportation officials. The three-year construction project began in 2013 with a total cost of 1.03
billion yuan ($154 million; 137 million euros; 113 million), according to an official statement. Vehicles will be
able to cross the bridge at up to 80 kilometers per hour.
45 NPC deputies unseated for fraud
China's top legislature on Sept 13 declared the disqualification of 45 state legislators from Northeast China's
Liaoning province for their involvement in unprecedented electoral fraud. The National People's Congress
Credentials Committee said 523 deputies to the Liaoning People's Congress were implicated in the fraud and
have either resigned or had their qualification as deputies terminated. No additional details, such as whether the
deputies will face further punishment, were released.
China, Peru recommit to expanding trade links
China and Peru have renewed their commitment to strengthening trade links, as the Latin American nation's
leader seeks further investment opportunities in the world's second-largest economy. Meeting with his Peruvian
counterpart, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, on Sept 13, President Xi Jinping said the two nations should continue to
enhance cooperation in energy, mining and infrastructure construction, and bolster a free trade agreement that
was implemented in 2010. Kuczynski, the 78-year-old former minister of minerals and economy, said he admires
China's efforts to make itself the largest industrial country and a key player in international affairs.
Joint logistics force set up to further reform
President Xi Jinping called on Sept 13 for the building of a strong and modern joint logistic support force. At the
inauguration ceremony of the Central Military Commission Joint Logistic Support Force, Xi, who is chairman of
the Central Military Commission, presented flags to Wuhan Joint Logistic Support Base and five joint logistic
support centers. Xi asked for the transformation of Chinese troops to meet the requirement of "joint operation,
joint exercise and joint logistic support" to be accelerated.
Legal procedures to be streamlined
China will streamline legal procedures by sorting cases into simple and complex categories, according to the
Supreme People's Court on Sept 13. The court called for more intensive procedures in complicated cases but
emphasized simplified procedures for simple or self-evident cases for optimal allocation of judicial resources.
The SPC listed several measures for improving efficiency, including simplified paperwork, pretrial conferences

for out-of-court settlements and online servicing of legal instruments.
Over 80% to speak Mandarin by 2020
At least 80 percent of Chinese people should be able to communicate in Mandarin by 2020, according to a work
plan for popularization of the language included in the 13th Five Year Plan (2016-20). The National Language
Committee and the Ministry of Education released the plan on Sept 13. According to the committee, only 53
percent of people across China could use Mandarin in daily life at the end of the 20th century.
Airplane-themed restaurant opens
The first airplane-themed restaurant in China has proved a hit after opening in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province.
Located inside a disused Boeing 737 aircraft, Lily Airlines restaurant gives its diners the feeling of being on
board a flight. "Passengers" must obtain their bill, which is printed on a replica flight ticket, before they pass
down the aisle into the cabin. All waiters and waitresses are dressed to resemble air hosts and hostesses. The
restaurant has a capacity of 78 people, with 19 tables.
Spotlight shines on 'holiday corruption'
China's top anti-graft authority has stepped up efforts to prevent "holiday corruption" and provided ways for the
public to provide tips during the two holidays. Mid-Autumn Festival, which fell on Sept 15, and the National
Day holiday, which runs Oct 1 to 7, are traditional holidays when people customarily send gifts to family
members and close friends. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection has encouraged the public to
report corruption through a variety of channels - including apps such as WeChat - especially in cases of using
public money on personal trips, hosting banquets and spending on nightclubs.
Beijing rule to target unruly tourists
Tourists who have previously exhibited uncivilized behavior could be shut out of some attractions in Beijing,
according to a draft city regulation now under discussion. According to the draft, the tourism authority should
establish a system that can keep a record of uncivilized behavior, and travel agencies and scenic spots can refuse
to provide service for those on the blacklist. Bad behavior includes disturbing orderly transportation, ruining the
environment, damaging public facilities and damaging cultural relics or historic sites, the draft said.
Govt prioritizes greener Yangtze
China has made environmental protection and restoration a top priority in its development plan for the Yangtze
River Economic Belt, a senior official said while discussing the national plan to boost the economy along
China's longest river. The development of the economic belt will follow a green path, with the strictest
environmental protection and water resources management measures, according to an official with the leading
group of the Yangtze River Economic Belt development. The official said China aims to markedly improve the
environment of the economic belt by 2020, with more than 75 percent of the region's water meeting Grade 3
standard or above and forest coverage reaching 43 percent. By 2030, the region's aquatic environment and
ecosystem will be greatly improved, the official said.
New railway sees nation pass 20,000-km mark
A new 360-kilometer high-speed railway linking Zhengzhou in Henan province with Xuzhou in Jiangsu province
started running on Sept 10, pushing the total length of China's high-speed track in service over 20,000 km, a
world record. Trains will run up to 300 km/h in the initial period. The Xuzhou-Lanzhou railway is one of China's
four most important railways from east to west, which will link Asia and Europe and play a key role in the Belt
and Road Initiative, said Huang Xin, an official with China Railway Corp. It also greatly reduces east-west travel
time between big cities.
Data platform to aid disease control
China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations launched a data platform for the control and prevention of
plant and animal diseases at a meeting in Nanning, capital of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, on Sept
10. Through the platform, China and ASEAN members can follow unified regulations in the monitoring,
prevention and control of animal and plant diseases across their borders, and will have more intensified and

effective cooperation in this field, said Li Jianwei, head of animal and plant quarantine supervision for the
General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.
Document CDAFWE0020160916ec9g0000r

Diplomacy, cooperation key to maritime security in Asia
Jarrod Mitchell , The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

524 words
26 January 2017
The Jakarta Post
JKPOST
12
English
Questions abounded over the future of Asia's oceans, and especially the South China Sea, at the National
Seminar on Maritime Diplomacy on Wednesday.
Experts highlighted the limits of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) amid China's
increasing assertiveness and the United States' ambiguous foreign policy.
"The institutions established by UNCLOS have caused maritime disputes that could not have existed before its
entry into force," said Mariko Kawano, Professor of International Law at Waseda University in Japan.
China claimed "irrefutable" sovereignty over disputed islands in the South China Sea on Tuesday.
Across the Pacific, US President Donald Trump carries a mandate to turn inward after his isolationist campaign
promises, raising concerns over who will take leadership in the South China Sea.
"We strongly encourage Trump's regime to fulfil its responsibility as a 'super maritime power' on traditional and
non-traditional maritime security," said retired Japanese Vice Adm. Hideaki Kaneda, now adjunct fellow at the
Japanese Institute of International Affairs.
Kaneda went on to criticize the Obama administration for not having implemented its promised pivot to Asia,
suggesting that the US could do more in the region.
Yet signs are emerging that Trump intends to pursue a proactive foreign policy in East Asia.
Much to the frustration of Japan and Australia, however, Trump signed an executive order withdrawing from the
Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) on Monday.
To that end, an independent approach is developing among Japan and its partners in the region.
Experts at the dialogue called for greater cooperation between states on shared challenges in their maritime
neighborhood.
The proposal comes at a time when ASEAN is increasingly faced with non-traditional security threats, such as
human trafficking, piracy and natural disasters.
Indonesia also relies upon its allies to defend its borders, said Siswo Pramono, Head of the Policy Analysis and
Development Agency at the Foreign Ministry.
"Without air refueling, it is impossible to patrol all of Indonesia. [And] we don't have capacity for refueling. So
diplomacy now is still an important part of our struggle to defend our country," he said.
Separately, Premesha Saha, Research Fellow at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said
Indonesia's naval capabilities fell short when it came to monitoring and patrolling its vast archipelagic domain
"India and Indonesia are the biggest players in the Indian Ocean region, however they only participate in one
bilateral naval exercise and two multilateral exercises annually, she told The Jakarta Post over the phone.

President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo visited India in December 2016, where he signed a joint statement on maritime
cooperation.
"Indonesia and India have a lot to gain from closer cooperation. Forty percent of Indian trade passes through the
Malacca Strait each year, so both countries have an interest in curtailing piracy there," said Premesha.
The next seminar will occur in February when experts will discuss resource management along maritime
borders.
The series of seminars will conclude in March with a discussion on maritime security in ASEAN.
-- The writer is an intern at The Jakarta Post
Document JKPOST0020170125ed1q0003f

INTERNATIONAL
Indian Navy to hold exercises with Indonesia, PNG and Aus
264 words
20 May 2017
PRTRIN
English
From Gurdip Singh
Singapore, May 20 (PTI) The Indian Navy will hold bilateral exercises with Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and
Australia after completing a maritime exercise with Singapore.
The Navy is currently taking part in the annual Singapore India Maritime Bilateral Exercise 2017 (SIMBEX-17)
with the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) which will be completed on May 24.
"After we conclude SINBEX with RSN, we will set course for further interaction for Indonesia, Papua New
Guinea and Australia before returning home," said Rear Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta, Flag Officer Commanding
Eastern Fleet.
lndian Naval Ships (INS) Shivalik, Sahyadri, Jyoti and Kamorta and one P8-I Maritime Patrol and Anti-
Submarine Warfare Aircraft are participating in SIMBEX-17.
INS Jyoti and Shivalik completed their naval exercise with the Royal Malaysian Navy yesterday and will join
INS Sahyadri and Kamorta for the second phase of SIMBEX-17.
"Our presence in this region is a manifestation of growing engagement with ASEAN countries and the maritime
nations of the Western Pacific in furtherance of our diplomatic initiative," Real Admiral Dasgupta said.
"Constructive engagement between navies has always been a preferred method of military engagement between
friendly nations," he said last night at a reception hosted on board Sahyadri and Kamorta, both docked alongside
at the Changi Naval Base.
The Indian navy has once again reaffirmed the strategic partnership between India and Singapore, and reiterated
its commitment to maritime security, stability and peace in this region, added India’s High Commissioner to
Singapore, Jawed Ashraf. PTI GS NSA
Document PRTRIN0020170520ed5k003jt

China
India-Singapore naval drill shouldn't hurt others: China
532 words
20 May 2017
The Times of India
TOI
English
(c) 2017 The Times of India Group
NEW DELHI:China on Friday said it is not against theby India and Singapore in the South China Sea as long as
it doesn't "hurt" its interest."We have no problem, if such exercises and cooperation are for the benefits of
regional peace and stability," China's foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said when asked for China's
response by Indian media at a daily briefing in Beijing."We have a very open attitude to normal exchanges
between various countries," she said when asked for China's reaction to the joint naval exercise of India and
Singapore.almost all of the resource-rich South China Sea (SCS), including islands more than 800 miles from the
Chinese mainland, despite objections from neighbours such as the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and
Vietnam."We just hope that when the relevant countries conduct such exchanges and cooperation, they should
bear in mind such activities should not hurt the interests of other countries or have any negative impact to
regional peace and stability,
" Hua said outlining Beijing's sensitivities.Navies of India and Singapore yesterday began a seven- day-long
mega maritime exercise in the SCS which has been witnessing a growing Chinese assertiveness.Four warships of
the Indian Navy and long range anti- submarine warfare aircraft P-8l are participating in the SIMBEX
(Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise), which is aimed at increasing interoperability between the two
navies.Held since 1994, it is the 24th edition of the annual exercise between the two countries.Beijing expresses
strong opposition whenever US naval ships pass through the area, even though it maintains there is no threat to
freedom of navigation.India along with the US and many other countries have been vocal about freedom of
navigation in the area as foreign trade worth over a trillion dollar move through the SCS.China in the past has
opposed India taking part in the oil exploration in the SCS at the invitation of Vietnam.India has earlier taken
part in the Malabar naval exercises with Japan and the US in the East China Sea.In the recent months, tension
over the SCS abated after new Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte scaled down Manila's emphasis on its SCS
claims even after it won an international tribunal award last year.The tribunal struck down China's expansive
claims over the area based on historical hold. China had rejected the verdict. After his election, Duterte opted for
peace with China in favour of Chinese investments.China and ASEAN members yesterday approved the
framework of the SCS Code of Conduct (COC), a crucial step towards peacefully resolving territorial disputes in
the area.The 14th Senior Officials' Meeting on the Implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties
in the South China Sea, held yesterday in Guizhou province's Guiyang city, reviewed and approved the COC
framework draft.A Chinese foreign ministry press release said yesterday that all the parties have agreed to
peacefully resolve the SCS disputes through negotiations and dialogue.They also agreed to work through their
differences under the framework of regional regulations.(with PTI inputs)
For Reprint Rights: timescontent.com
Document TOI0000020170519ed5k0009q

Behind the News
MSDF helicopter carrier arrives for major Pacific naval exercise
By MIZUHO KAJIWARA/ Staff Writer

385 words
21 May 2017
AJW (Asia & Japan Watch)
ASAHIE
English
Copyright 2017. The Asahi Shimbun Company.
CAM RANH BAY, Vietnam--Fresh off helping the U.S. Navy amid rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the
helicopter carrier Izumo, the Maritime Self-Defense Force's largest vessel, anchored here on May 20 to join an
international naval exercise.
The Izumo is participating in the Pacific Partnership exercise, led by the U.S. Pacific Fleet, which involves
medical ships sailing to the Asia-Pacific region.
In addition to carrying a large complement of helicopters, the Izumo also has medical facilities, which were
shown to media representatives.
"This is an expression of Japan's determination to further contribute to the peace and stability of the Asia-Pacific
region," said Rear Adm. Yoshihiro Goka, commander of the Escort Flotilla 1 out of Yokosuka Base, about the
deployment of the Izumo.
The Izumo left the MSDF's Yokosuka Base on May 1 to rendezvous with a U.S. naval supply vessel off the coast
of the Boso Peninsula in Chiba Prefecture before along with the destroyer Sazanami escorting it to the Shikoku
region in western Japan.
The mission was the first utilization of expanded SDF responsibilities involving the protection of armaments of
another nation's navy.
The Izumo and the Sazanami sailed to Singapore following the escort mission to join the International Maritime
Review on May 15, hosted by the Singapore Navy.
The Izumo then proceeded to Pacific Partnership, which began in 2007, the largest multilateral training exercise
in the region aimed at simulating humanitarian support and disaster rescue tasks.
Vietnam was chosen as the site for this year's exercise based on the need for multilateral cooperation to secure
the rule of maritime law in the region and to help improve the coast guard capabilities of ASEAN members.
During the Cold War, Cam Ranh Bay was a major port for the former Soviet Union Navy. It has regained the
spotlight as a strategic base because of its proximity to the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, which are at
the center of a territorial dispute between China and a number of Southeast Asian nations, including Vietnam.
Media representatives board the MSDF helicopter carrier Izumo after it anchored in Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam, on
May 20. (Mizuho Kajiwara)
Document ASAHIE0020170522ed5l0000i

Thailand's Pattaya prepares for ASEAN International Fleet Review 2017
235 words
24 May 2017
VIETNA
English
(VNA/NNT) - The Chonburi Provincial Administrative Organization and the Pattaya local administrative
organization have expressed their readiness to host the ASEAN International Fleet Review 2017 scheduled for
November this year.
Both offices have recently welcomed members of the public relations subcommittee of the ASEAN International
Fleet Review and informed them of the tourism plan during the period.
According to the Pattaya Tourism Office, several activities will be organized to promote Thai culture and
stimulate the local economy, such as a Loy Krathong event, a seafood festival, and an international jet ski
competition. The office promised to maintain the city's cleanliness and provide the necessary facilities while
underlining safety measures for the entire month of November.
At the meeting, the Thai Hotels Association Eastern Chapter presented plans to offer accommodations at special
prices for members of the press.
The ASEAN International Fleet Review 2017 is part of celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of Association
of Southeast Asian Nations and demonstrate the harmony of the bloc's naval forces. The Royal Thai Navy has
combined the 11th ASEAN Navy Chief’s Meeting, the First ASEAN Multilateral Naval Exercise and the
International Fleet Review into a single event.
This event will take place from November 13 – 22 in Pattaya, as well as nearby famous tourist destinations
located in the northern part of the Gulf of Thailand.
Document VIETNA0020170524ed5o000ul

News
Beijing to stage new Yellow Sea naval drill
Sarah Zheng
466 words
5 August 2017
South China Morning Post
SCMP
1
3
English
(c) 2017 South China Morning Post Publishers Limited, Hong Kong. All rights reserved.
Four-day exercise offN Korea 'also meant as show of force aimed at US and Japan'
China will stage a second naval drill off the Korean peninsula in the Yellow Sea today, just a week after the last
one.
The exercise comes after North Korea conducted its second intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test on July
28.
The four-day drill within a cordoned-off area between the coast of Qingdao and the waters east of Lianyungang -
a potential flashpoint for regional security - is aimed atsending a message of deterrence and showing its military
might to North Korea, the United States and others in the region, analysts say.
Beijing has not released detailed information about the live-fire drill, aside from saying it would be carried out
from today until Tuesday, according to notices from the PLA Navy's North Sea Fleet and the Shandong Maritime
Safety Administration.
It follows a similar three-day naval exercise from July 27 - 29 in the Yellow Sea - the northern part of the East
China Sea. Analysts noted the timing of the drill, which came after flare-ups between Beijing and Washington
over Pyongyang's latest missile test.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday called on all parties to avoid "any actions that will lead to an
escalation in tensions" on the Korean peninsula.
Malcolm Davis, senior defence analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said the latest drill was about
deterring North Korea while acting as a show of force to the US and Japan.
"It's basically a warning to Pyongyang," he said. "The Chinese would really like to get the North Koreans to
back down, but it largely depends on whether [North Korean leader] Kim Jong-un is ready to do that."
The drill also comes as US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Wang prepare to meet at the Asean Regional
Forum of foreign ministers in Manila today.
"Nothing is ever coincidental in international relations - the timing does reinforce the message," Davis said.
It could also be seen as a "call for peace" in the Yellow Sea, said Collin Koh, a maritime security expert at
Singapore's Nanyang Technological University. Koh said it signalled to nations such as the US that they should
"not even entertain the thought of military action against North Korea".
Euan Graham, director of the international security programme at the Lowy Institute for International Policy in
Sydney, argued that China's naval drills could benefit North Korea's interests, while serving as a warning to the
United States. "The [Sino-US] honeymoon is over, and the two sides are moving towards a more conflictual
relationship that's playing out in several domains and geographic areas," he said.

Page Name: Lead news
Document SCMP000020170804ed850001d

News
diplomacy - Australia seeks joint naval exercise early next year
228 words
24 August 2017
Bangkok Post
BKPOST
English
(c) 2017. The Post Publishing Public Company Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Australia has asked Thailand to take part in joint maritime exercises early next year, Defence Ministry
spokesman Kongcheep Tantravanich said yesterday.
Australian Defence Minister Marise Payne made the proposal during a meeting with her Thai counterpart, Gen
Prawit Wongsuwon, at the Defence Ministry yesterday. Ms Payne is in Thailand on a three-day visit that started
on Tuesday.
Ms Payne proposed the joint naval drill to bolster maritime cooperation between the countries, Maj Gen
Kongcheep said.
The spokesman said Ms Payne had spoken about how Thailand and Australia have been developing closer ties,
particularly in defence matters and military cooperation in areas such as training, peacekeeping, maritime patrols
and information sharing.
Ms Payne also thanked Thailand for supporting Australia's inclusion in the Asean Defence Ministers' Meeting
Plus (ADMM Plus) to discuss security in the region.
She also extended her condolences over the passing of the late King.
Maj Gen Kongcheep said Gen Prawit expressed gratitude to Australia for its continuing support and military
cooperation, adding that Australia agreed to send a warship to take part in a naval regatta in Thailand to mark the
50th anniversary of Asean in November.
Gen Prawit told Ms Payne that close military ties between the two countries would be instrumental in coping
with regional and global challenges, Maj Gen Kongcheep said.
Document BKPOST0020170824ed8o0000b

Vietnam, Indonesia seek to enhance defense ties
562 words
13 October 2017
VENEWS
English
Defense cooperation has been defined by Vietnam and Indonesia as an important pillar of their bilateral relations.
Indonesia is a regional country that previously established defense and security relations with Vietnam, when in
1964, Indonesia officially opened its Defense Attaché Office in Hanoi, while Vietnam set up its Defense Attaché
Office in Jakarta in 1985.
Recently, the two sides have exchanged a number of visits of high-ranking defense delegations, including
defense ministers and senior military officers.
Since 2015, the bilateral defense relations have witnessed five high-ranking defense delegations visiting each
other, including Vietnam’s Air Defense - Air Force Commander’s visit and participation in the ASEAN Air Force
Commanders’ Meeting in September 2016, Vietnamese naval ships led by a Deputy Naval Commander
participating in an international fleet review and the multilateral naval exercise Komodo in Indonesia in April
2016, a Vietnamese Deputy Naval Commander's visit to the international meeting for Maritime Security in
Indonesia in September 2016, Indonesia’s Chief of Staff of the Air Force’s visits to Vietnam in November 2015
and April 2017 and Indonesia’s Defense Minister’s visit to Vietnam in August 2016.
Alongside the exchange of the high-ranking visits, Vietnam and Indonesia continuously enhance bilateral
cooperation between the two navies, air forces and coast guard forces and cooperation on military personnel
training, UN peacekeeping operations and anti-terrorism.
As the two countries share a maritime borderline, Vietnam and Indonesia also focus on promoting cooperation
on maritime security, search and rescue and fishermen support.
At the same time, Vietnam and Indonesia actively consult and support each other at regional defense cooperation
mechanisms within the frameworks of ASEAN and ASEAN and its partners, particularly the ASEAN Defense
Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) and ADMM+ (plus defense ministers from ASEAN’s partners). The two countries’
defense cooperation at the regional forums helps improve each country’s status and position and also contributes
to promoting unity and consensus within the bloc.
During Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s visit to Indonesia last August, both Vietnamese
Party Chief and Indonesia President Joko Widodo highly valued the positive outcomes of the bilateral defense
ties, saying that the bilateral defense cooperation is a highlight in the overall relations between the two countries
over the past time. The two leaders also agreed that the two sides should promote defense cooperation as an
important pillar in the bilateral relations and strive to achieve more practical outcomes in the coming time.
Particularly, the two leaders agreed to coordinate closely with each other in the fight against terrorism, cyber and
hi-tech crimes, human and drug trafficking and transnational crimes.
The two sides also agreed to accelerate the negotiation process on exclusive economic zone demarcation, quickly
reach comprehensive solutions to the remaining maritime issues between the two countries and handle legally-
breached fishing boats and fishermen of the other country in a spirit of humanity, friendship and unity of
ASEAN and in accordance with the Vietnam-Indonesia strategic partnership while respecting each other’s
sovereignty.

In short, Vietnam and Indonesia bilateral defense cooperation has seen positive developments in recent times.
Vietnam always wishes to promote defense ties with Indonesia for the mutual benefits of the two countries and
for stability, peace and development in the region. (Quan Doi Nhan Dan Online – October 12)
Document VENEWS0020171013edad00024

Singapore, China discuss practical initiatives for ASEAN -China defence ties
395 words
23 October 2017
22:43
Channel NewsAsia
CNEWAS
English
(c) 2017 MediaCorp News Pte Ltd. All Rights Reserved
SINGAPORE: An inaugural ASEAN-China maritime exercise is among initiatives to advance ASEAN-China

relations, the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) said in a press release on Monday (Oct 23).
Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen held a bilateral meeting with Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National
Defense General Chang Wanquan on the sidelines of the 11th ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM) and
4th ADMM-Plus in Clark, Philippines.
During the meeting, Gen Chang expressed appreciation for Singapore's efforts at strengthening ASEAN-China
ties in Singapore's role as ASEAN-China coordinator. They discussed further practical initiatives to advance
ASEAN-China relations, based on their meeting in Beijing in September and looking ahead to next year when
Singapore assumes the ASEAN chairmanship.
This includes planning for the conduct of an inaugural ASEAN-China maritime exercise, an idea first first
mooted by China last year.
"Since the agreement of the Four-Point Consensus by Dr Ng and Gen Chang in 2014, Singapore-China defence
relations have steadily progressed," MINDEF said.
In addition to high level bilateral interactions and exchanges, the People’s Liberation Army and the Singapore
Armed Forces conduct regular bilateral interactions, such as the army exercise, Exercise Cooperation, and the
new bilateral naval exercise, Exercise Maritime Cooperation, introduced in 2015.
ASEAN DEFENCE MINISTERS DISCUSS COUNTER-TERRORISM INITIATIVES
At the meeting, Dr Ng and other ASEAN defence ministers signed the 11th ADMM Joint Declaration,
underscoring their resolve to combat terrorism through regional and international cooperation, MINDEF said.
The ministers also attended a special ADMM meeting on countering violent extremism, radicalisation, and
terrorism.
"At the meeting, the Defence Ministers reaffirmed the importance of regional counter-terrorism initiatives, such
as the Trilateral Maritime and Air Patrols in the Sulu Sea, and highlighted the need for ASEAN to respond
collectively given that terrorism is a problem that no country can singlehandedly manage," MINDEF said.
Dr Ng added that Singapore will step up counter-terrorism collaboration between the ASEAN defence
establishments during Singapore’s 2018 ADMM chairmanship.
He also held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from the other ASEAN countries, in which they "reaffirmed
the strong bilateral relationships", MINDEF added.
Dr Ng will participate in the ADMM Chairmanship handover ceremony on Tuesday, where Singapore will
officially take over the ADMM and ADMM-Plus chairmanship from the Philippines. - CNA/kc
Document CNEWAS0020171023edan001mg

China explores deeper military cooperation with ASEAN , US
Zhang Zhihao
459 words
27 October 2017
China Daily
CHNDLY
1
English
Copyright 2017, China Daily Multimedia Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
China is deepening its military relations with Asia-Pacific countries through drills and dialogues, the Defense
Ministry said on Thursday.
China and the US also are working closely to facilitate mutual visits between Chinese Defense Minister Chang
Wanquan and US Defense Secretary James Mattis, said Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang, the ministry's spokesman.
He did not give an exact date.
"The Chinese military is willing to work with the US to promote mutual respect and trust, deepen practical
exchanges and cooperation, properly handle differences and inject positive energy and momentum into the
relations of both countries," he said.
Before the end of the year, China will hold an antimissile computer simulation drill with Russia, and hammer out
technical details for its joint naval exercise with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, he added.
"The Chinese military will continue to deepen friendly exchanges and cooperation with Asia-Pacific countries,"
Ren said. "We will further strengthen mutual understanding, promote dialogue to new heights and jointly
safeguard regional peace and achieve joint prosperity."
Next year's drill will be China's first joint naval exercise with ASEAN, Ng Eng Hen, Singapore's defense
minister, said on the sidelines of an ASEAN security meeting in the Philippines on Tuesday.
Chang also is in the Philippines attending the 11th ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting and an extended meeting
that includes ASEAN and its eight dialogue partners - China, Russia, United States, Australia, India, Japan, New
Zealand and the Republic of Korea.
During the meetings, Chang spoke with his counterparts from Russia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore.
He also talked with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday.
"China seeks to enhance strategic mutual trust with the Philippines, properly handle differences, and push for
sustained and healthy relationships between our two countries, as we are neighbors," Chang said.
Duterte said that the Philippines attach great importance to developing relations with China and he appreciates
China's support in the Philippines' development, especially in its efforts to fight against terrorism in Marawi in
the southern Philippines.
Philippine government forces just ended their combat operations against terrorists in Marawi after five months of
fighting, in which about 1,200 people were killed. The fighting hurt the city's economy.
China donated 20 million yuan ($3 million) worth of trucks, cement mixers, excavators and bulldozers for
reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in Marawi and officially handed over the equipment to the Philippines
on Tuesday.
Luo Yongkun, a researcher on Southeast Asia studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International
Relations, said China's deepening military relation with ASEAN and other countries in the Pacific can strengthen

trusts and find a solution to the South China Sea issue.
zhangzhihao@chinadaily.com.cn
Document CHNDLY0020171026edar00004

China- ASEAN Naval Exercise Hopes to Build Rapport Among Rivals
Ralph Jennings
929 words
27 October 2017
Voice of America Press Releases and Documents
VOA
English
CY Copyright (c) 2017 Federal Information & News Dispatch, Inc.
October 27, 2017 4:12 AM
- Ralph Jennings
TAIPEI, TAIWAN -
China-Southeast Asian maritime exercises proposed for next year will ease a stalemated dispute over the South
China Sea by letting adversaries meet one another's front-line personnel and work on common issues, experts in
the region say.
Singapore's Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen and his Chinese counterpart Chang Wanquan agreed Monday to plan
for the first maritime exercise with ships from China and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN), the Singaporean defense ministry said on its website. Singapore will lead the association next year.
Beijing has angered four Southeast Asian states by expanding its coast guard and military presence in the South
China Sea, a 3.5 million-square-kilometer tract of water rich in fisheries and fuel reserves. Claims by Brunei,
Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines overlap that of China, which calls nearly the whole sea its own.
Joint exercises would break down suspicion by letting naval personnel meet one another, said Termsak
Chalermpalanupap, political and security affairs fellow with the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.
Foreign ministries, he added, would be in charge of handling disputes.
"I think it's good to have the joint exercise," Chalermpalanupap said. "At least interpersonal contact, that will be
important."
FILE - Chinese vessels are pictured in disputed South China Sea, April 21, 2017.
Nonpolitical focus
Joint exercises will be especially welcomed if they cover search and rescue work or efforts to stop piracy at sea,
said Oh Ei Sun, international studies instructor at Singapore Nanyang University. The countries must avoid
politics to ensure success of any maneuvers, he said.
"They would have to really focus on the exercise at hand and all sides should not try to in any way, shall we say,
proclaim sovereignty during the exercise," Oh said.
China began to expand in the sea in 2010 by reclaiming land to build artificial islands, some apparently for
military use. It's ready to deploy radar systems and fighter jets on some, according to the Asia Maritime
Transparency Initiative under American think tank Center for Strategic & International Studies.
The Chinese military is stronger than the armed forces of the rival coastal states. China's coast guard ships, oil
rigs and unilateral fishing bans in disputed waters have further riled Southeast Asian countries.
South China Sea Territorial Claims
Singapore stakes
Singapore did not suggest where the exercise would take place, a defense ministry publicist said Thursday in
response to a question about whether it would unfold in the South China Sea itself.

It's also unclear whether China has agreed, analysts say, but it probably will as its defense head acknowledged
the idea with his Singaporean counterpart Monday.
Singapore's suggestion probably arose from its position as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-China
dialogue coordinator through next year, Chalermpalanupap said.
The Southeast Asian city-state borders the contested sea but does not claim waters that conflict with Beijing's
claims.
Singapore still worries that any clash in the South China Sea could upset its air and sea traffic, said Huang Kwei-
bo, vice dean of the College of International Affairs at National Chengchi University in Taipei. It also wants to
ensure China doesn't get too powerful in the sea as U.S. attention fades, he said.
U.S. President Donald Trump, keen to work with Beijing on containing the military expansion of North Korea,
has not clarified whether his government will send naval vessels into the sea regularly to remind China of the
U.S. view that the waters are open to all.
"They're always paying attention," Huang said. "Singapore hopes, first, that the South China Sea is not
dominated by any single power and second, that the sea disputes can (reach) a peaceful resolution."
Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong "released a lot of goodwill" when he visited Beijing in September,
Huang added. Lee and counterparts in Beijing agreed to strengthen cooperation on regional issues, easing fears
in China that Singapore's ASEAN leadership next year could challenge Chinese maritime interests.
FILE - Protesters hold placards during a rally outside the Chinese Consulate in Manila to protest China's
artificial island-building at the disputed islands, reefs and shoals off South China Sea.
Rare military cooperation
Cooperation has eluded the South China Sea claimants because of competing sovereignty claims. China's
occupation of a disputed shoal in 2012 prompted the Philippines to request world court arbitration. Last year the
court said China lacked a legal basis to much of its claim.
China rejected the verdict but has tried since then to get along better with individual Southeast Asian states, often
by offering aid and investment. In an initial sign of broader cooperation, China and ASEAN agreed in August to
a framework code of conduct. The eventual code would be designed to head off any accidents at sea, but without
touching on sovereignty issues.
The 6-year-old ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting-Plus dialogue, where the Chinese and Singaporean military
officials came up with the joint exercise idea, shows it's possible for rivals to work together, international
relations Professor Tan See Seng said Thursday in a comment for the S. Rajaratnam School of International
Studies in Singapore.
Members of that dialogue signed an understanding in 2014 on "unplanned counters at sea," he said.
"Save for a few bright shining moments, the history of multilateral security in the Asia-Pacific has mostly been a
frustrated enterprise," the author said.
Document VOA0000020171027edar0000k

Royal Thai Navy to Host the 50th Anniversary of ASEAN IFR 2017, 13-22 November 2017 in Pattaya
409 words
7 November 2017
ForeignAffairs.co.nz
PARALL
English
Copyright 2017. Multimedia Investments Ltd. All rights reserved.
Source: Government Of Thailand
Headline: Royal Thai Navy to Host the 50th Anniversary of ASEAN IFR 2017, 13-22 November 2017 in
Pattaya
INSIDE THAILAND
Royal Thai Navy to Host the 50th Anniversary of ASEAN IFR 2017, 13-22
November 2017 in Pattaya 7 November 2017
On the auspicious occasion of the 50th anniversary of ASEANs establishment

in 1967, the Royal Thai Navy is hosting the International Fleet Review to
celebrate this remarkable moment, as well as to show the harmony between
international navies. The whole event will take place from 13 to 22
November 2017 in Pattaya, Chon Buri province, and nearby famous tourist
destinations located in the northern part of the Gulf of Thailand. Three
significant events are combined into one under the rubric of the
International Fleet Review to Commemorate the 50th Anniversary of ASEAN
Establishment (50th Anniversary of ASEAN IFR 2017). These events include
the review of a naval fleet formed by ships invited from countries across
the world (IFR), the 11th ASEAN Navy Chiefs Meeting (11th ANCM 2017), and
the 1st ASEAN Multilateral Naval Exercise (1st AMNEX 2017). Prime Minister
Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha will preside over the ceremony and review the
International Fleet on 20 November 2017. On the evening of Sunday, 19
November, crews from the International Fleet will join the International
City Parade as well as other public shows and activities provided by the
Pattaya City Council. More than 40 ships and aircraft from all the
participating navies have been invited to take part in the celebration and
all its activities. The First ASEAN Multilateral Naval Exercise will occur
on and around Sattahip Naval Base in the northern part of the Gulf of
Thailand. The exercise is scheduled to have the Harbor Phase conducted on
13-17 November, the Sea Phase on 21 November, and the Post-Exercise
Debriefing on 22 November 2017. The Minister of Defense will chair the
opening ceremony of the 11th ASEAN Navy Chiefs Meeting at the Dusit Thani
Pattaya Hotel on 19 November 2017. The theme for this two-day event hosted
on 18-19 November is "Protection and Preservation of the Marine
Environment.
Foreign Office, The Government Public Relations Department, Office of the

Prime Minister 9 Rama VI Road, Bangkok 10400, Thailand Tel: (+66-2) 618-
2323 ext. 1700, 1707
Number of Visitors

MIL OSI -
Document PARALL0020171108edb7000w4

PH Navy joins Asean exercises in Thailand
Dempsey Reyes
162 words
8 November 2017
The Manila Times
MANI
English
Copyright 2017. The Manila Times
The Philippines will send a 600-man contingent to Thailand to participate in the first Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (Asean) Multilateral Naval Exercise (Amnex).
The Amnex will be held on November 13 to 22.
Capt. Lued Lincuna, spokesman for the Philippine Navy, said the 600 Navy personnel will leave the country on
Wednesday aboard the Barko ng Republika ng Pilipinas (BRP) Tarlac (LD601) and the BRP Gregorio Del Pilar
(FF15).
The BRP Tarlac, which will be used to transport the Navy personnel to Pattaya, Thailand, was used also to
transport personnel during the Marawi siege.
According to Lincuna, Amnex 2017 is the first maritime security collaboration of navies in the Southeast Asia
region that will be hosted by the Royal Thai Navy.
It will also be conducted in conjunction with the commemoration of Asean's 50th founding anniversary along
with the International Fleet Review and the 11th Asean Navy Chief's Meeting.
Document MANI000020171107edb800005

Thailand poised to host ASEAN International Fleet Review 2017
234 words
9 November 2017
VIETNA
English
(NNT/VNA) – Thailand is fully ready to play host to the ASEAN International Fleet Review 2017 in celebration
of ASEAN’s 50th anniversary, with navy ships from countries around the world participating.
Admiral Naris Pratoomsuwan, Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Navy, declared the country’s readiness
for the organisation of the ASEAN International Fleet Review 2017 in commemoration of the 50th anniversary
of ASEAN’s establishment from November 13-22 in Pattaya, Chon Buri province.
There will be more than 40 vessels joining in the fleet review, 26 of which coming from 19 foreign countries,
including ASEAN neighbours, China and the United States. With participation of over 5,000 navy officers from
around the world, the event is aimed at tightening relations and cooperation between ASEAN member nations
and partner countries and demonstrating the region’s security potential.
Deputy Government Spokesperson Lt Gen Weerachon Sukhontapatipak expressed confidence that the ASEAN
International Fleet Review 2017 will bolster Thailand’s image, reflect the close friendships between ASEAN and
its allies and pave the way for future economic cooperation.
The International Fleet Review will also coincide with a variety of activities, such as the 1st ASEAN
Multilateral Naval Exercise, the 11th ASEAN Navy Chiefs’ Meeting, the International Dragon Boat Racing, the
4th Technology for the Next Decade, and the Air Race I World Cup Thailand 2017.
Document VIETNA0020171109edb9001up

Kyodo news summary -5-
Kyodo
1,043 words
12 November 2017
23:00
Kyodo News
KYODO
English
(c) 2017 Kyodo News
TOKYO, Nov. 12 -- ----------
Japan, U.S. conduct joint naval drill amid increased N. Korea tensions
TOKYO - Japan and the United States conducted a joint naval exercise Sunday involving three of the U.S.
Navy's aircraft carriers in the Sea of Japan, as part of a U.S. strike force exercise amid heightened tensions on the
Korean Peninsula.
Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force said three escort vessels -- the Ise, Makinami and Inazuma -- carried out
the drill with the U.S. flattops Ronald Reagan, Nimitz and Theodore Roosevelt -- the first three-carrier exercise
in the western Pacific since 2007.
----------
Trump offers to mediate South China Sea territorial disputes
HANOI - U.S. President Donald Trump told Vietnam on Sunday that he is prepared to mediate between nations
with conflicting territorial claims in the South China Sea.
"If I could help mediate or arbitrate, please let me know," Trump said during a meeting with Vietnamese
President Tran Dai Quang in Hanoi, referring to long-running territorial disputes exacerbated in recent years by
China's building of man-made islands with military installations in some areas.
----------
Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines ministers discuss strife-torn Marawi
MANILA - The foreign ministers of Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines on Sunday discussed how to
prevent a recurrence of the Muslim extremist insurgency that engulfed the southern Philippine city of Marawi
this year.
After their meeting, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said the ministers -- Retno, Philippines Foreign
Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano and Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman -- agreed to adopt at a January
meeting in Indonesia a proposed plan to staunch the threat of extremism through joint action.
----------
Japan PM Abe arrives in Philippines for talks with ASEAN leaders
MANILA - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe touched down in the Philippines on Sunday for meetings with
members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, in which he is set to seek support for a "free and open
Indo-Pacific."
On the heels of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Vietnam, Abe is expected to emphasize in

Manila the importance of a "free and open" strategy in underpinning ASEAN's future growth.
----------
Car plows into spectators at drift event in southwest Japan, 4 injured
SAGA, Japan - A car plunged into a crowd of spectators at a drift event in southwestern Japan on Sunday,
leaving four men injured including one in critical condition, police said.
A man in his 40s was unconscious after suffering a traumatic brain injury and another man in his 20s had a
broken jaw, while the driver in his 20s hurt his neck and a man in his 30s in the passenger seat sustained a chest
injury.
----------
Hiroshima Gov. Yuzaki assured of re-election
HIROSHIMA - Hiroshima Gov. Hidehiko Yuzaki was assured of a third four-year term in the gubernatorial
election Sunday, defeating the sole challenger, who was recommended by the Japanese Communist Party,
according to exit polls.
The 52-year-old governor ran as an independent with the backing of the Liberal Democratic Party, the Komeito
party and the Democratic Party.
----------
Japan, Malaysia leaders meet in Manila after TPP deal
MANILA - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Malaysian counterpart Najib Abdul Razak met for talks
in Manila on Sunday, in which they are likely to have discussed cooperation on the newly approved version of
the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact.
Japan and Malaysia are two of the 11 TPP signatories that agreed in Vietnam on Saturday to bring the pact into
force as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, following the
withdrawal of the United States from the original deal.
----------
ASEAN to express grave concern over N. Korea weapons programs: draft
MANILA - Southeast Asian leaders will express "grave concern" over North Korea's "development of weapons
of mass destruction" at a meeting Monday in Manila, a draft of the chairman's final statement shows.
According to a draft of the 31st ASEAN Summit Chairman's Statement obtained Sunday by Kyodo News, the
leaders of all 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are greatly worried by Pyongyang's
"nuclear and chemical weapons, and ballistic missile technologies."
----------
Nepali speaks on 1st visit to Japan after wrongly jailed for murder
TOKYO - A Nepalese man who spent 15 years behind bars in Japan after being wrongfully accused of murder
has thanked supporters who campaigned for him on his first return to the country since his release in 2012.
Govinda Prasad Mainali, a former restaurant employee in Japan who was convicted on the basis of
circumstantial evidence of killing a 39-year-old Japanese woman in 1997, also attended a civic meeting to call
for the eradication of wrongful convictions.
----------

ASEAN to discuss next month admitting East Timor as new member
MANILA - The Association of Southeast Asian Nations will convene a meeting of senior officials next month to
discuss admitting East Timor as a member, ASEAN officials said Sunday.
The ASEAN working group on East Timor will meet Dec. 5 on the Indonesian resort island of Bali, Chandra
Widya Yudha, director of ASEAN political and security cooperation at the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, told Kyodo News on the sidelines of meetings of the leaders of the 10 current member states of ASEAN,
and of its major dialogue partners including China, the United States and Russia.
----------
Classic German car reborn as electric car in Japan's tsunami-hit area
SENDAI - A 60-year-old German three-wheel car has been revamped as an electric vehicle at the request of the
head of a bus company in northeast Japan who has been promoting EVs since experiencing the gasoline shortage
that hit the region in the wake of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
Masayuki Inomata, president of Sendai Bus Co. in Iwanuma, Miyagi Prefecture, asked a Yokohama EV design
and sales firm to transform the Messerschimitt KR200, a two-seater purchased by his grandfather, into an EV at
the end of last year.
----------
2 shot dead during attack by suspected jihadis on police in Sumatra
JAKARTA - Indonesian police shot dead two men who attacked officers early Sunday on the island of Sumatra,
a police spokesman said.
Written material in support of jihad was found on the men, national police spokesman Rikwanto said.
==Kyodo
Document KYODO00020171112edbc002jp

Politics: Vietnamese Frigate Joins ASEAN Multilateral Naval Exercise
259 words
14 November 2017
VIETNB
English
Frigate 012 - Ly Thai To of the Vietnam People’s Navy on November 10 departed for the first ASEAN
Multilateral Naval Exercise (AMNEX-1), the International Fleet Review 2017 (IFR 2017) and other sideline
activities in celebration of the 50th founding anniversary of ASEAN in Thailand.
During the ten-day event, the Vietnamese naval ship will participate in command and staff and field exercises, an
international fleet review, a sport competition, a street parade, and so on.
AMNEX, an initiative of the Royal Thai Navy, was discussed and approved by ASEAN navies at the eighth
ASEAN Navy Chiefs’ Meeting (eighth ANCM) in August 2014 in Bangkok.
The exercise is scheduled to have its harbor phase November 13 to 17; the sea phase on November 21, and the
post-exercise de-briefing on November 22. The objectives of AMNEX are similar to those of other multilateral
exercises of its ilk, including strengthening interoperability, increasing readiness, boosting knowledge and
understanding, and fostering relations between organizations and people, which is the foundation of wider
cooperation.
On this occasion, the head of the Vietnamese naval mission will also pay courtesy visits to the Commander in
Chief of the Royal Thai Navy and the Commander of the Sattahip Naval Base. The Vietnamese navy’s
participation in AMNEX-1 and IFR 2017 reaffirmed the country’s goodwill to boost cooperation with the Royal
Thai Navy in particular and ASEAN’s navies in general, thus contributing to ensuring maritime security and
safety in the region and the world.
Document VIETNB0020171113edbe0005t

ASEAN navies cooperate to protect marine environment
328 words
20 November 2017
VIETNA
English
(VNA) – The 11th ASEAN Navy Chiefs’ Meeting (ANCM-11) opened in Pattaya city, Thailand, on November
19, themed “Protection and Preservation of the Marine Environment”, according to Quan doi Nhan dan (People’s
Army) daily.
Opening the event, Commander-in-Chief of Royal Thai Navy Admiral Naris Pratoomsuwan said the ANCM-11
is an important forum for ASEAN navies to exchange viewpoints, discuss different issues, seek cooperation
opportunities, and explore common interests.
It’s time for ASEAN navies to reach mutual understanding through diverse activities to increase their
coordination capability, and protect and preserve the marine environment, an important issue, he added.
In his speech, Commander of the Vietnam People’s Navy Rear Admiral Pham Hoai Nam said the marine
environment is facing non-traditional challenges. Four major challenges to the marine environment are pollution
from the mainland and the sea, the destruction of marine species’ natural habitat, illegal fishing and overfishing,
and climate change impacts like natural disasters, storms and floods.
He said it is necessary to exploit and use marine resources in an effective, reasonable and economical manner.
Meanwhile, regional countries need to minimise illegal and destructive fishing, address pollution and
degradation of the marine environment, and prevent pollution.
Nam also called on ASEAN countries to build marine reserves and climate change-adapted infrastructure while
stepping up monitoring of the marine environment to gather scientific information for the sustainable use and
protection of marine resources.
Stressing international cooperation in the marine environmental protection and preservation, Rear Admiral Nam
expressed his hope that ASEAN navies will have more effective cooperation in this field.
The ANCM-11 is among a series of navy-related events in Pattaya from November 13 to 22. Other activities
include the ASEAN International Fleet Reviews 2017 (IFR 2017) and the first ASEAN Multilateral Naval
Exercise (AMNEX-1). Vietnam’s naval ship 012-Ly Thai To participated in all activities of the IFR 2017 and
AMNEX-1.
Document VIETNA0020171120edbk00105

2017 Int'l Fleet Review in Chon Buri
164 words
20 November 2017
16:05
Organisation of Asia-Pacific News Agencies
OANA
English
© 2017. OANA All rights reserved.
CHON BURI, Nov 20 (TNA) – The Royal Thai Navy hosts the International Fleet Review to mark the 50th
anniversary of the establishment of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Chon Buri’s Pattaya
bay.
Prime Minister Gen Prauyut Chan-o-cha Monday morning was on board HTMS Thalang, presiding over the
event, being held the first time in Thailand.
The event showcases 40 vessels of participating countries including Australia, the US, Russia, South Korea,
China, Japan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and ASEAN countries.
The fleet review and related activities, including 11th ASEAN Navy Chiefs’ Meeting and the 1st ASEAN
Multilateral Naval Exercise are being held until Nov 22.
Later today, the Thai prime minister will go to Sattahip Technical College to follow up education management in
the Eastern Economic Corridor. He will be briefed about the education system here and meet students and
entrepreneurs from companies, which participate in the dual vocational education campaign. (TNA)
Document OANA000020171120edbk00001

Foreign naval ships take part in int’l fleet review in Thailand
141 words
20 November 2017
VIETNA
English
(VNA) – Some 40 warships from countries across the world, including the US, Russia, China and Japan,
gathered in the Gulf of Thailand on November 20 to join the 2017 International Fleet Review.
The International Fleet Review is hosted by Thailand on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this year.
The event is a result of the 8th ASEAN Navy Chief’s Meeting in Bangkok in August 2014 to strengthen
cooperation between navy forces of ASEAN member states.
This month, Thailand also hosted the 11th ASEAN Navy Chief’s Meeting and the first ASEAN Multilateral
Naval Exercise in and around its Sattahip Naval Base, the largest base of the Royal Thai Navy, located in the
northern part of the Gulf of Thailand.
Document VIETNA0020171120edbk00439

Celebrating 50 Years of ASEAN : RSN Participates in ASEAN Multilateral Naval Exercise and
International Fleet Review
288 words
21 November 2017
Singapore Government News
ATGVSG
English
Nov. 21 -- The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) participated in the inaugural ASEAN Multilateral Naval
Exercise (AMNEX) from 13 to 22 November together with ships from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia,
Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. The exercise, hosted by the Royal Thai Navy (RTN), saw ships
from the participating countries carrying out joint planning and training in the Gulf of Thailand. The RSN
participated with a Formidable-class Frigate RSS Steadfast, Victory-class Missile Corvette RSS Valiant and
Independence-class Littoral Mission Vessel RSS Independence.
The RSN also participated in the International Fleet Review (IFR), held on 20 November in Pattaya Bay,
Thailand, to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of ASEAN. Reviewed by Thailand's Prime Minister General Prayut
Chan-o-cha, the IFR was attended by 40 ships from 19 participating countries. Personnel from the ships also
participated in an International Navies City Parade in Pattaya as part of celebrations.
Chief of Navy Rear-Admiral Lew Chuen Hong was also in Pattaya to attend the 11th ASEAN Navy Chiefs'
Meeting (ANCM) on 19 November. An annual meeting held amongst ASEAN navy chiefs to discuss maritime
issues and multilateral naval cooperation, this year's ANCM centred on the protection and preservation of the
marine environment. Other presentations during ANCM included information sharing between navies and naval
humanitarian and disaster relief operations.
ASEAN countries carry out regular defence exchanges aimed at facilitating strategic dialogue and improving
practical cooperation between militaries. Such interactions continue to contribute to confidence building and the
promotion of stable military-to-military relations to enhance regional peace and stability.
Source: Ministry of Defence, Government of Singapore
Document ATGVSG0020171121edbl0005l

ASEAN NAVIES HOLD FIRST MULTILATERAL EXERCISE TO CONSOLIDATE FORCES
MOHD HAIKAL MOHD ISA

500 words
27 November 2017
Bernama Daily Malaysian News
BRNAMA
English
(c) 2017 Bernama - Malaysian National News Agency
PATTAYA, Nov 27 (Bernama) – The changes in world and regional geo-strategic scenarios requires the navies of
ASEAN countries to work closely to tackle various maritime threats in the future, said Royal Malaysian Navy
(RMN) chief Admiral Tan Sri Ahmad Kamarulzaman Ahmad Badaruddin.
He said stemming from a proposal to further strengthen cooperation, ASEAN's naval forces for the first time
organised the "ASEAN Multilateral Naval Exercise 2017" (ANMEX) from Nov 13-22.
"(ANMEX 2017) indirectly prepares us to deal with maritime threats as the changing scenario (in today's world)
and the geo-strategicness of the region requires us to do so."
"ANMEX 2017 will be able to strengthen interoperability, cooperation and understanding of all countries
(ASEAN naval forces)," he told Bernama when attending the ASEAN International Fleet Review 2017
here recently.
Twelve warships from all ASEAN countries – except Laos which does not have a navy – participated in the
multilateral training held at the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) base in Sattahip and the northern waters of the Gulf of
Thailand.
The RMN's participation in the historic training was through the guided-missile frigate KD Lekiu and the Gagah
Samudera training vessel.
At ANMEX 2017, KD Lekiu was honoured to lead one of two task groups, which at the same time proved the
capability and professionalism of RMN itself.
ANMEX 2017 comes shortly after Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines launched the "Trilateral Air Patrol"
(TAP) initiative in the Sulu Sea last October, due to concerns over the presence of Daesh terrorists in Southeast
Asia following the Marawi siege in southern Philippines.
Among the key components of TAP include joint-patrols in the waters of Sulu Sea by the respective navies of the
three countries and the sharing of intelligence.
This also comes a few years after Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore launched the Melaka Strait
Security Patrols to monitor the security in the strait.
According to Ahmad Kamarulzaman, as ANMEX 2017 was held for only the first time in the history of
ASEAN navies, it focused mainly on communication, navigation and understanding at sea when moving in large
groups.
He expressed confidence that ANMEX in the future would be enhanced to involve more complex aspects of
training, such as scenarios involving anti-terrorism operations.
"ASEAN navies have different level of capabilities, threat perspectives and priorities, so these need to be
considered and thus calibrated into our planning for the future ANMEX, working it up gradually to ensure
member nations are comfortable," he said.

ANMEX, according to him, provided an opportunity to RMN personnel, especially those on board the Gagah
Samudera training vessel to be involved in a large multilateral training involving personnel and warships from
various countries for the very first time.
After the mission in Pattaya, KD Lekiu and Gagah Samudera are currently on their way to Ho Chi Minh to
continue training with a Vietnamese warship and two ships belonging to the Philippine Navy.
Document BRNAMA0020171128edbr0004b

Navy to welcome contingent to 1st AMNEX Wednesday
PNA
172 words
29 November 2017
PHILNA
English
© 2017 Philippines News Agency
Manila, Nov. 29 -- The Philippine Navy (PN) contingent, which took part in the first-ever ASEAN Multilateral
Naval Exercise (AMNEX) 2017, will be formally welcomed Wednesday.
Welcoming ceremonies will take place 2 p.m. at Pier 13, Manila South Harbor, Navy spokesperson Capt. Lued
Lincuna said. The event will be headed by Philippine Fleet commander Rear Admiral Gaudencio Collado Jr.
The contingent consists of the BRP Gregorio Del Pilar (FF-15), the BRP Tarlac (LD-601) and 600 sailors and
marines, Lincuna bared.
The PN contingent to AMNEX 2017 is headed by Commodore Albert A. Mogol.
The naval exercises where 10 ASEAN nations and nine non-ASEAN member states took place in Pattaya and
Sattahip Bay, Thailand.
It started November 13 and ended on November 22, the PN spokesperson added.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Philippines News Agency.
content.services@htlive.com
Document PHILNA0020171129edbt0000m

India
Australia ready to join Malabar naval exercise
701 words
13 December 2017
Indo-Asian News Service
HNIANS
English
Copyright 2017. Indo-Asian News Service
New Delhi, Dec 13 (IANS) In light of the increasing strategic importance of the Indo-Pacific region, Australia is
willing to join the Malabar naval exercise if invited by the other three participating nations of India, the US and
Japan, a senior Australian official said here on Wednesday.
"Australia, of course, stands very willing to join Malabar should we be invited to do so," Secretary of the
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia Frances Adamson said at a media round table.
"But that invitation could only come from the other three," Adamson, who was here to participate in the
inaugural 2+2 Foreign Secretaries and Defence Secretaries Dialogue between India and Australia and the fourth
India-Australia-Japan trilateral meeting, said.
Originally started by India and the US in 1992, Japan became a permanent member of the Malabar naval
exercise in 2015 after participating in some earlier editions. Australia took part in the 2007 exercise but left
thereafter.
Regarding the 2+2 Dialogue on Tuesday, Adamson said that both sides shared their perspectives on the region
with a particular focus on the Indo-Pacific, "and within the Indo-Pacific, a particular focus on the Indian Ocean".
Stating that Australia is an Indian Ocean country as much as it is a Pacific country, she said that the conversation
quickly turned to cooperation in the maritime domain and the importance of maritime domain awareness.
"We have been over a period of many years now developing a bilateral defence relationship, including through
Ausindex, our bilateral naval exercise, including through the exchange of senior level visits, including
discussions of a whole range of maritime issues," she said.
"But it is not limited to maritime domain either. The conversation also includes practical dimensions to our
military-to-military cooperation."
Regarding Wednesday's India-Australia-Japan trilateral meeting, Adamson said that the three sides discussed
North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, counter-terrorism, cyber security and regional security
issues.
Referring to the white paper on Australia's new foreign policy released last month, she said that it recognised that
India now sat in the front rank of Australia's international partnerships.
"Beyond an increasingly important economic relationship, our security intents are congruent, particularly in
relation to the stability and openness of the Indian Ocean," she said
The white paper also encourages India's strategic engagements with East Asia and the US.
"In addition to our bilateral relationship, Australia's trilateral and quadrilateral dialogues with India are an
essential part of our approach to order-building in the Indo-Pacific," Adamson said.
India, Australia, the US and Japan last month discussed the security and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region at a
quadrilateral meeting in the Philippines on the sidelines of the East Asia and Asean summits.

Adamson said that the white paper sets five priorities fundamental to Australia's future.
The first is to promote an open, inclusive and prosperous Indo-Pacific in which the rights of all states are
respected.
"We seek a region in which our ability to prosecute our interests freely is not constrained by the exercise of
coercive power," the Australian official said in what can be seen as a veiled reference to China's aggressiveness
in the South China Sea.
The second is to deliver opportunities for Australian businesses globally and stand against protectionism. This
includes an India Economic Strategy.
The third is to ensure Australians remain safe, secure and free by guarding against terrorism, cyber, transnational
crime and foreign interference.
The fourth priority is to promote and protect the international rules that support stability and prosperity and
enable cooperation to tackle global challenges and the fifth priority is to step up support for a more resilient
Pacific.
Adamson also said that Australia would be supportive if India decided to join the Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC) a forum of 21 Pacific Rim member economies.
To a separate question on when the first consignment of uranium from Australia will reach India after the two
countries signed a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement, she said that no governmental obstacles remained and
only the commercial contract was awaited.
--IANS
ab/bg
Document HNIANS0020171213edcd009q1

Politics: Vietnam Participates in Regional Naval Exercise Komodo
207 words
7 May 2018
VIETNB
English
Vietnam’s Hospital Ship 561, led by Rear Admiral Pham Xuan Diep, deputy-commander of the Vietnam
People’s Navy, attended the Multilateral Naval Exercise Komodo 2018 (MNEK 2018) in Lombok Island of
Indonesia on May 5-9.
Under the theme “Cooperation for Natural Disasters Prevention and Humanitarian Assistance,” MNEK 2018
underlines the importance of cooperation among naval forces on humanitarian assistance and maritime security
issues.
This year’s exercise draws naval forces from 37 countries from ASEAN and its partners, who brought over 50
ships of all kinds.
Immediately after the launching ceremony on May 5, Admiral Supandi, Chief-of-Staff of the Indonesian Navy
and heads of participating contingents joined a fleet review with the participation of all of the participating
vessels. Also, some other activities were also held on the same day, including a command-and-staff exercise
centered on humanitarian aid and natural disaster mitigation activities at sea, a medical and civil engineering
program, a street parade and coastal artistic performances.
The Komodo exercise was started in 2014 and took place every two years. This year’s participation also marked
Vietnam’s third participation, meaning the nation had never been absent from the naval exercise.
Document VIETNB0020180507ee570000l

India-Vietnam defense ties in spotlight with joint naval exercise
1,016 words
29 May 2018
The Ghanaian Times
GATIM
English
Copyright © 2016 — The Ghanaian Times. All Rights Reserved.
within the framework of perpetual deployment of the Indian Navys Eastern Fleet to Southeast Asia and the
Northwest Pacific region, three Indian naval ships en route to Guam and Hawaii for the multilateral Malabar and
RIMPAC naval exercises made a port call at Tien Sa Port in Danang for Indias first joint naval exercise with
Vietnam.
To put this in perspective, this is analogous to the navies of China and Bangladesh exercising in the Bay of
Bengal.
Before having a stopover in Vietnam, this cohort visited Singapore on May 6 and Malaysia and Thailand on May
13.
The three warships on the five-day visit to Vietnam comprised the Shivalik-class stealth multi-role frigate INS
Sahyadri, Deepak-class fleet oil tanker INS Shakti and anti-submarine Kamorta-class stealth corvette INS
Kamorta, which carried 913 commissioned officers, petty officers and seamen.
The naval squad was led by Rear Admiral Dinesh Tripathi, commander of the Indian Navys Eastern Fleet. INS
Kamorta and INS Shakti will only be participating in the Malabar exercise, whereas INS Sahyadri is scheduled
to join in the prominent transnational naval Exercise RIMPAC (Rim of the Pacific Exercise).
Docking of Indian naval ships in Vietnam is not a new phenomenon. Indian ships have visited Danang twice in
the past in June 2013 and October 2015. Other visits were to Haiphong in August 2014 and September 2017. In
May 2016, Indian ships visited Cam Ranh International Port in south-central Khanh Hoa province. More
recently, INS Sumedha docked at Ho Chi Minh City on January 12 this year.
However, all these visits were bereft of one imperative display of power that was accomplished in the recent
visit.
The highlight of the recent visit was the first ever joint naval exercise by India and Vietnam, which has set a
new benchmark not only in bilateral relations but also in Indias dynamic Act East Policy. The exercise aimed to
boost military and maritime cooperation, increase mutual understanding between the two navies, to maintain
security and stability in the region. The exercise also developed interoperability in communication as well as
search and rescue procedures.
The naval exercise took place at the same time as the Chinese navy and coast guard were also performing their
first joint patrol in the vicinity of the disputed Parcel Islands in the South China Sea. Ni Lexiong, a naval expert
at the Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, said Beijings recent moves were intended to be a pre-
emptive warning against any challenge to Chinas claims. According to the South China Morning Post, this
tactical move was a warning to Vietnam, because of its recent engagements in the South China Sea.
Nevertheless, time and again Vietnam has defied Chinas hegemonic interests in the region. There have been two
armed skirmishes between China and Vietnam in the sea one in 1974 and another in 1988.
Vietnam, like India, is cautious of Chinas increasing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region and has a huge
incongruity with Beijing over several islands and exclusive economic zones in the South China Sea. Despite the
recent armistice promises made by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi while meeting with his Vietnamese
counterpart Phm Bnh Minh, China is still stretching its military bases over the South China Sea.
It was for this precise reason that India and Vietnam ramped up their defense cooperation to the level of
Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2016 during the official state visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra
Modi to Vietnam. Since then, Vietnam has expressed interest in procuring BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles

and the Akash surface-to-air missile defense systems. Vietnam has a very important role in Indias Act East
Policy.
During Modis official visit to Hanoi in 2016, India acknowledged a US$500 million defense line of credit for
Vietnam to simplify the acquisition of defense gadgets. India is also helping train Vietnamese fighter pilots to fly
Su-30 jets and has been helping Vietnamese submariners operate Russian-origin Kilo-class submarines.
India has also serviced and upgraded more than 100 MiG fighter planes of the Vietnam Air Force and provided
them with enhanced avionics and radar technology. The Indian Navy has had wide-ranging cooperation with
Vietnam Peoples Navy, predominantly in training, repairs, maintenance and logistics provision intended for
capacity building.
The visit by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to India in January as one of the chief guests for
Republic Day and for the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit and a state visit by President Tran Dai Quang
in March were remarkable moments in two countries relations. Both leaders reiterated the pertinent role of India
in the Indo-Pacific region and vowed support for the Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy.
The joint naval exercise was channeled just weeks in advance of Indian Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharamans
scheduled visit to Hanoi. Her visit will be reciprocated by the chief of general staff of the Vietnam Peoples Army
and the commander-in-chief of the Vietnam Peoples Navy, who are scheduled to visit India this year. Both
meetings will have a brainstorming deliberation over developing fresh strategies for strengthening bilateral
defense cooperation.
India and Vietnam have been allies of shared prosperity since attaining independence from their colonial powers.
Both countries have huge prospects of becoming two of the top economies in Asia in the forthcoming decade.
Before the recent naval exercise, armies of both countries had their first joint military exercise in Jabalpur, in the
central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, in January. Furthermore, in March, India steered the jumbo naval
exercise Milan at the Andaman and Nicobar Islands together with prominent maritime powers in the region,
including Vietnam.
Indias subtle outlook is that it vows a supportive, comprehensive and meticulous security framework that
amplifies collective regional security and overall global stability. Many defense activities with Vietnam are
gearing up that will be in the limelight in the coming months, which will not only set new benchmarks in
bilateral relations but will also take Indias Act East Policy to grander statures.
Document GATIM00020180529ee5t000b5

Defence
Tensions rise in South China Sea region as China consolidates position
Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury

1,318 words
31 May 2018
The Economic Times
ECTIM
English
(c) 2018 The Times of India Group. All rights reserved.
NEW DELHI: Tensions in the South China Sea (SCS) are rising as the global focus has shifted to
denuclearisation of North Korea and détente between Washington and Pyongyang. However, tensions need to
defuse before it snowballs into a crisis in the Indo-Pacific region.In response to China’s militarization of the
South China Sea the Pentagon withdrew its invitation for China to participate in a multinational naval exercise
the U.S. is hosting this summer. The Pentagon cited strong evidence that China has deployed anti-ship missiles,
surface-to-air missile systems and electronic jammers to contested areas in the Spratly Islands. It called on China
to remove these systems. The U.S. had included China in the past two versions of the naval exercise known as
Rim of the Pacific, or RimPac, in 2014 and 2016.Two U.S. Navy warships sailed near South China Sea (SCS)
region on Sunday as part of Freedom of Navigation exercise.
The operation planned months back was the latest attempt to counter what Washington sees as Beijing’s efforts
to limit freedom of navigation in the strategic waters. Meanwhile, Indian warships are engaging with the US and
Japan off Guam to further bolster "interoperability" in the Indo-Pacific amidst China's continuing aggressive
moves in the region. India will be fielding its stealth frigate INS Sahyadri, missile corvette INS Kamorta and
fleet tanker INS Shakti as well as P-8I long-range maritime patrol aircraft for the Malabar exercise from June 6
to 15. The three warships held India's first naval exercise with Vietnam at Da Nang’s Tien Sa Port last week
while being on operational deployment to South East Asia and NorthWest Pacific. The Malabar exercise is also
aimed at emphasising Freedom of Navigation in SCS.The Chinese air force recently landed long-range bombers
for the first time at an airport in the South China Sea in a move likely to further fuel concerns about Beijing's
expansive claims over the disputed region. The People's Liberation Army Air Force conducted takeoff and
landing training with the H-6K bomber in the South China Sea region. China has also installed anti-ship cruise
missiles and surface-to-air missile systems (H-Q9) in Spartly Islands.China says it dispatched warships to
identify and warn off a pair of U.S. Navy vessels sailing near one of its island claims in the South China Sea. A
statement on the Chinese Defense Ministry’s website said the Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS
Higgins and Ticonderoga class guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam entered waters China claims in the Paracel
island group “without the permission of the Chinese government.” It said the Chinese military “immediately
dispatched warships to identify and inspect the American ships according to law, and warned them to
depart.”The next edition of the Shangrila Dialogue in Singapore -- early June -- which will see participation of
regional leaders and top experts besides Indian PM Narendra Modi may take stock of situation in SCS. The
Dialogue may call for peaceful resolution to territorial disputes in the SCS region based on international law. The
Washington-based Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative identified the location of the exercise as Woody Island,
China's largest base in the Paracel Islands. The H-6K bomber would put all of South-East Asia in its range from
Woody Island, AMTI said.Woody Island is also home to the administrative headquarters of the Sansha city
government. Beijing established Sansha, a prefecture-level city in Hainan province, in 2012 to administer the
Paracel, Spratly and Zhongsha island groups, and their surrounding waters.South of Woody Islands in the Spratly
group of islands, China has constructed seven man-made islands and equipped them with runways, hangers,
radar and missile stations, further bolstering its claim in the SCS region.Earlier this month, the White House said
it was prepared to take measures against the militarisation of the South China Sea, after Beijing reportedly
installed new missiles on outposts in the Spratlys – that are also claimed by Vietnam and the Philippines.“We’re
well aware of China’s militarisation of the South China Sea. We’ve raised concerns directly with the Chinese
about this, and there will be near-term and long-term consequences,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders
said.US network CNBC reported that the Chinese military had installed anti-ship and air-to-air defences on the
islands, citing US government sources.Military moves by China pose threat to Freedom of Navigation and
Freedom for Overflight in SCS. Experts across the world have been repeatedly urging China to uphold UNCLOS
in settling SCS disputes. It is important to recall 2016 UNCLOS verdict which went against Chinese claims.

Philippines v. China (PCA case number 2013–19), also known as the South China Sea Arbitration, was an
arbitration case brought by the Republic of the Philippines against the People’s Republic of China under Annex
VII to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) concerning certain issues in the South
China Sea including the legality of China's "nine-dotted line" claim.On 19 February 2013, China declared that it
would not participate in the arbitration. On 7 December 2014, a white paper was published by China to elaborate
its position. On 29 October 2015, the arbitral tribunal ruled that it has jurisdiction over the case, taking up seven
of the 15 submissions made by the PhilippinesOn 12 July 2016, the tribunal ruled in favor of the Philippines. It
clarified that it would not "...rule on any question of sovereignty over land territory and would not delimit any
maritime boundary between the Parties" The tribunal also ruled that China has "no historical rights" based on the
"nine-dash line" map. China has rejected the ruling.India maintains that territorial disputes should be resolved
through peaceful means as was done by India and Bangladesh using the mechanisms provided by the UNCLOS,
and parties should abide by the Declaration of the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea. India supports a
peaceful settlement of the dispute. Peaceful means should be used according to the principles of international
law, including the UNCLOS.China has been rapidly increasingly its military deployment in the South China Sea
and its air force said in a statement in February that Chinese Su-35 fighter jets had taken part in a combat patrol
over the South China Sea. It did not say when the patrol happened or over which part of the South China Sea.
Some ASEAN Foreign Ministers have expressed concern about activities by China in SCS, including land
reclamations.A solution out of the crisis can be found through an early Code of Conduct. The Association of
South East Asian Nations is hoping to expedite negotiations on a code of conduct with China for the South China
Sea. China and the 10-member ASEAN bloc adopted a negotiating framework on the code for the SCS. Signing
China up to a legally binding and enforceable code for the waterway has long been a goal for claimant members
of ASEAN, some of whom see China disregarding their sovereign rights and its blocking of fishermen and
energy exploration efforts.The framework seeks to advance a 2002 declaration of conduct of parties in the South
China Sea. Signing China up to a legally binding and enforceable code for the strategic waterway has long been
a goal for ASEAN member states. China is involved against smaller neighbours in multiple disputes in the South
China Sea over islands, coral reefs and lagoons in waters crucial for global commerce and rich in fish and
potential oil and gas reserves. It is imperative that all parties resolve the disputes through peaceful means and
uphold 2016 UNCLOS verdict.
For Reprint Rights: timescontent.com
Document ECTIM00020180530ee5v0000i

INTERNATIONAL
India to soon start tri-lateral exercise with Singapore: PM Modi
303 words
1 June 2018
PRTRIN
English
By Gurdip Singh
Singapore, Jun 1 (PTI) India will soon start a new tri-lateral exercise with Singapore with which New Delhi has
the longest un-interrupted naval drills, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced here today.
He, however, did not name the third participant.
"India's armed forces, especially our Navy, are building partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region for peace and
security, as well as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief," Modi said while delivering a keynote address at
the Shangri-La Dialogue here.
The forces train, exercise and conduct goodwill missions across the region, he said.
"With Singapore, we have the longest un-interrupted naval exercise, which is in its 25th year now. We will start
a new tri-lateral exercise with Singapore soon and we hope to extend it to other ASEAN countries," Modi said.
India and Singapore have signed implementation agreement between their navies concerning mutual
coordination, logistics and services support for naval ships', submarines and naval aircraft (including ship borne
aviation assets) visits.
India conducts Malabar Exercise with the US and Japan, Modi said, adding that a number of regional partners
join in India's Exercise 'Milan' in the Indian Ocean, and participate in Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) military
exercise in the Pacific.
As many as 26 countries including India would participate in the biennial RIMPAC military exercise from June
27 to August 2, in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California.
Known as the world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC this year involves 47 surface ships, five
submarines, 18 national land forces, and more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel.
Ahead of the announcement, the United States had disinvited China from RIMPAC, a move Beijing described as
"unfortunate". PTI CPS ZH ZH
Document PRTRIN0020180601ee6100id6

US trying to make friends, counter China with massive naval exercise
By Brad Lendon CNN

1,070 words
1 July 2018
09:02
CNN Wire
CNNWR
English
Copyright 2018 Cable News Network. All Rights Reserved.
HONG KONG (CNN) -- The Pentagon kicked off the world's largest naval war games last week, the biennial,
month-long Rim of the Pacific exercises, known as RIMPAC, bringing together 46 ships and submarines, 200
aircraft and 25,000 troops from 25 nations.
Missing from that contingent is China, which was disinvited from RIMPAC over its militarization of islands in
the South China Sea.
But as ships were arriving in Hawaii for RIMPAC, China was completing a series of naval exercises of its own,
with a series of live-fire naval drills off Taiwan that began on June 17.
That the two sets of exercises overlap only serves to reinforce the differences between the two super powers, as
both countries vie for military influence in the Pacific.
RIMPAC is about "building relationships," US military leaders said at a press conference in Hawaii on Thursday,
pointing out Indo-Pacific nations making first-time or upgraded contributions to the exercises, including
Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines, which all have claims in the South China Sea.
"We work together, build relationships here, so later on ... it's hard to turn down a friend," said Vice Adm. John
Alexander, commander of the US Navy's 3rd Fleet told the Pearl Harbor gathering marking the beginning of the
games.
And RIMPAC shows the US Navy is better at making friends than its Chinese counterpart, analysts say.
"China's absence means that it loses an opportunity to ... establish professional and potentially personal
relationships with its regional and global naval counterparts," said Carl Schuster, a former director of operations
at the US Pacific Command's Joint Intelligence Center.
Beijing does not host any naval exercises on the scope of RIMPAC, Schuster said.
"There is a bit of the 'I'm the popular kid on the block' approach to all this," said Peter Layton, visiting fellow at
the Griffith Asia Institute in Australia, pointing out that the US Navy knows how to show off its and its partners'
capabilities.
Among the planned RIMPAC missions are new missile demonstrations, amphibious exercises, mine clearing and
anti-piracy exercises, according to the US Navy.
Expect all to be well publicized with tweets, photos and videos and postings on the RIMPAC Facebook page.
"It highlights in graphic media detail lasting a month that navies want to exercise with the US Navy," Layton
said.
And the presence of the South China Sea nations at RIMPAC shows loyalties in the region remain very much in
play, said Layton.

Making friends and extending influence
Washington has periodically sent warships within boundaries declared by China around disputed islands, but
those so-called "freedom of navigation operations" have not been joined by other Southeast Asian navies.
RIMPAC gives those Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) a chance to show "passive support" for
the US position, Layton said.
The 10 ASEAN nations include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. All but Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar are at RIMPAC.
"ASEAN states might not be willing to sail with the US Navy through the disputed waters but they are keen to
exercise with the US Navy and show solidarity that way," Layton said.
"Vietnam for the first time attending this year's exercise is significant in that regard. The Philippines involvement
similarly indicates they wish to hedge their bets and remind China they have other options," he said.
Broad coalition
Outside of Southeast Asia, the US is giving important roles to other allies.
Canadian and Japanese admirals will be in the Nos. 2 and 3 overall command positions and Australian and
Chilean commanders will the maritime and air components respectively.
"The trust built in RIMPAC will pay dividends when we all respond together to crises that may arise," Adm.
John Aquilino, the commander of the US Pacific Fleet, said at Pearl Harbor on Thursday.
China, meanwhile, sent a flotilla of warships for a week of "real combat training" around Taiwan, which Beijing
claims as part of its territory but has been a self-governed, democratic island since 1949 following a civil war on
the Chinese mainland.
Beijing said the combat exercises were "directed at separatist elements advocating "Taiwan independence,"
according to a report from the state-run Xinhua news service.
The Chinese military said two warships from its Eastern Theater Command spearheaded the exercises -- with
added units from air and coastal defense forces -- in the Taitung Strait, the Bashi Strait and the Taiwan Strait,
according to Xinhua.
Highlighting that the exercises were conducted by the Eastern Theater Command, formed during a Chinese
military reorganization in 2016, was important, according to Schuster, the former US Navy officer now a Hawaii
Pacific University professor.
"It means the PLA Navy and the joint command structure are getting better, more capable and they want Taiwan
and the United States to know it," he said.
The exercises came while US Defense Secretary James Mattis, who had pulled China's RIMPAC invitation in
early June, visited leaders in Beijing.
They included President Xi Jinping, who made his position on the South China Sea clear.
"Our stance is steadfast and clear-cut when it comes to China's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Xi said,
according to state media, adding that "any inch of territory passed down from ancestors cannot be lost while we
want nothing from others."
Alternative alliances
Beijing isn't showing any envy of RIMPAC either. On Thursday, the Defense Ministry announced its planning
naval drills with the 10 ASEAN nations later this year, aiming to "enhance mutual trust, expand exchange and
cooperation, and safeguard regional peace and stability," Xinhua reported.

Meanwhile, Layton says for all the US military's talk of building relationships, there's one person who could
burn them down during the month of RIMPAC -- Donald Trump.
The US President has meetings with NATO and European Union leaders as well as Russian President Vladimir
Putin scheduled for July.
"Donald Trump is widely expected to insult the Europeans and the Canadians, and actively try to damage NATO
and the EU, while heaping praise on Putin for Syria and the Ukraine," the Australian analyst said.
"Some EU nations and maybe others may wonder why they are supporting a US exercise in the Pacific," Layton
said. "Trump in attacking allies and friends will undo for all participants some of RIMPAC's soft power aspects."
Document CNNWR00020180630ee6u006sh

Defense cooperation raised at reception
Agnes Anya, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

469 words
9 July 2018
The Jakarta Post
JKPOST
10
English
Almost a month has passed since Russia marked its annual June 12 national day, but the celebrations lasted until
last Friday.
The Russian Embassy in Jakarta used the commemoration, which had been delayed because of Ramadhan to
highlight Indonesia and Russia's security and defense cooperation.
"A famous old Indonesian phrase says, 'Jauh di mata, dekat di hati' [far from sight but close to the heart]," said
Russian Ambassador to Indonesia Lyudmila Georgievna Vorobieva at the Hotel Indonesia Kempinski in Central
Jakarta. "That reflects the special character of the Russian-Indonesian relationship."
The commemoration marks the adoption of the Declaration of State Sovereignty of the Russian Soviet
Federative Socialist Republic on June 12, 1990, that in effect dissolved the Soviet Union.
During Friday's occasion, Vorobieva said that Indonesia and Russia, then the Soviet Union, which first
established their diplomatic relation in 1950, had tightened their ties by both working on a strategic partnership.
That partnership, she said, would make countering international terrorism and cooperation in information
security the priorities of both countries. In addition, they had achieved significant progress in defense
cooperation, she said.
Last November, Indonesia agreed on a deal with Russia for the procurement of 11 Sukhoi aircraft worth US$1.14
billion in exchange for cash and Indonesian commodities. Vorobieva, who took the office earlier this year, said
"the contract had been signed but the details are still in discussion".
Indonesia is also planning to allow the Russian Navy to join the Komodo 2018 naval exercise in May. "We hope
the Indonesian military will someday visit Vladivostok," she said after the event, referring to Russia's most
important Pacific Ocean port.
She said that Indonesia was one of Russia's main partners in the Asia-Pacific region and ASEAN. The countries
enjoyed a 25 percent increase in the value of their trade last year worth at $3.3 billion, Vorobieva said.
Among ASEAN countries, Indonesia is the largest trader to Russia of tea, coffee, palm oil, electrical equipment,
shoes and clothing.
Russia made investments worth up to $4.7 million in Indonesia between January and September last year, the
Indonesian data shows.
Hanura Party politician Oesman Sapta Odang, one of the event's guests of honor along with first president
Sukarno's daughter, Rachmawati Soekarnoputri, said that Russia should "be more active to invest in Indonesia".
"I am proud that our economic ties are growing. However, I want to emphasize that Russia should be more active
investing in Indonesia because Russia has money and technology," he said.
Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin used the country's national day to present awards to nine people:
five in the field of science and technology, three in literature and the arts and one in humanitarian activities.

Document JKPOST0020180708ee7900007

ASEAN -China drills set outside disputed waters
Jaime Laude
504 words
5 August 2018
The Philippine Star
PHSTAR
English
(c) 2018 Philstar Global Corporation
MANILA, Philippines — As concerns over the militarization of the South China Sea continue, China and the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are launching in October a joint naval drill in the potential
regional flashpoint – but outside contested areas and without the participation of the United States and Australia.
The joint naval exercise is to be held off the coast of Guangdong province in China from Oct. 22 to 28, with the
participation of the Philippines and the rest of the ASEAN member-countries, Department of National Defense
(DND) spokesman Arsenio Andolong said. He said the holding of a joint China-ASEAN naval drill was first
brought up in February in Singapore at the informal ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting. It was China which
proposed the conduct of a joint drill. “After a series of informal defense ministers meetings, China’s proposal
was unanimously approved by the 10 ASEAN member-states,” Andolong said.
The Philippine Navy, Andolong added, had sent two of its naval officers to participate in the two-day “tabletop”
exercises. China’s barring the United States and Australia from the forthcoming naval exercises came on the
heels of Beijing’s getting “dis-invited” by the US to the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) drill, the world’s biggest
naval exercises being held in and around the waters between Hawaii and the coast of California. The naval
maneuver is still ongoing. Over the past years, the Chinese Navy has been projecting a blue water capability,
sparking concerns that China is gearing for maritime domination not only in the Indo-Pacific region but
ultimately across the globe. But standing in the way of its maritime domination plan are old time powers like the
US, Australia and the United Kingdom, among others. China has been building island fortresses in several areas
in the South China Sea being claimed or within the territories of other Asian countries, including the Philippines.
The US Navy has been continuously challenging China’s domineering presence in the South China Sea by
conducting regular Freedom of Navigation Operations in the region, despite protests from Beijing. China is
claiming almost 90 percent of the South China Sea. Other countries engaged in maritime dispute with China –
aside from the Philippines – are Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan and Brunei. Navy spokesman
Commander Jonathan Zata, meanwhile, clarified that the forthcoming China-led naval drill would focus on
“search and rescue operations” and the application of Code of Unplanned Encounter at Sea. “Our navy officers,
Capt. Hilario Casista and Commander Remuel Jerdinero, are back Friday from a two-day ‘tabletop’ exercises in
Singapore in preparation for the holding of China-led maritime drill to be held off the coast of Zhangjiang,” Zata
said.
The joint \b naval exercise\b0 is to be held off the coast of Guangdong province in China from Oct. 22 to 28,
with the participation of the Philippines and the rest of the \b ASEAN\b0 member-countries, Department of
National Defense (DND) spokesman Arsenio Andolong said.
Document PHSTAR0020180804ee8500001

China, ASEAN hold 1st joint naval exercise at sea
Kyodo
424 words
22 October 2018
22:12
Kyodo News
KYODO
English
(c) 2018 Kyodo News
BEIJING, Oct. 22 -- The first joint field exercise between the navies of China and the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations began on Monday off the coast of southern China.
The ASEAN-China Maritime Exercise is being held through Sunday off Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province, in the
South China Sea where China's territorial claims overlap those of four ASEAN states -- Vietnam, the
Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei.
The field training exercise, co-organized by the navies of China and Singapore, involves naval ships from China,
the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, and more than 1,000 personnel.
The 10-member ASEAN also includes Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos and Myanmar.
At an opening ceremony at Ma Xie Naval Base attended by representatives of all 11 countries, Singapore's navy
chief Rear Adm. Lew Chuen Hong emphasized the South China Sea's importance to the region, and how mutual
prosperity is only possible if the sea is stable and secure.
"To allow the stable and collective use of a shared space, a set of common rules and understanding is very
important," he was quoted as saying by Singapore's Straits Times newspaper.
He gave as examples of the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, adopted in 1982, and the Code for
Unplanned Encounters at Sea that was agreed to by ASEAN and regional powers last year.
On Sunday, Chinese Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe said in a meeting with the heads of the ASEAN
delegations that the exercise marks an important milestone in the history of China-ASEAN relations, while
demonstrating the confidence and determination of both sides to maintain regional peace and stability.
The field exercise was proposed China in 2015 and agreed to at a meeting between Wei and ASEAN defense
ministers last February.
As an initial step, a two-day tabletop exercise, which focused on developing plans to conduct joint rescue
operations at sea, was held between Chinese and ASEAN navies in Singapore in August.
At ASEAN defense ministers' meeting in Singapore last week, they reaffirmed the ASEAN-China Maritime
Exercise as an important confidence-building measure and revealed that a similar field exercise will be held with
the U.S. Navy next year.
It would be the first of its kind involving the United States and all 10 ASEAN countries and appears to be aimed
at striking a balance between China and the United States -- the two major powers with considerable influence in
the region, especially in the South China Sea.
==Kyodo
Document KYODO00020181022eeam00439

No venue yet for Asean -US naval exercise -DND
382 words
22 October 2018
Business Mirror
ABUSMR
English
Copyright © 2018. Business Mirror
The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations is yet to agree on where it will be holding the naval
exercise with the US military as earlier agreed upon by regional defense officials through Singapore, which is
this year's host of the Asean.
The venue for the military exercise agreed between Singapore Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen and US Defense
Secretary James Mattis during the Asean-US Defense Ministers' Informal Meeting held last week, would still be
taken by a group from the Asean Defense Senior Officials Meeting (ADSOM), said Department of National
Defense (DND) Assistant Secretary for Assessments and International Affairs Teodoro Cirilo Torralba.
'No venue yet for the exercise but US was the one who requested an exercise with Asean,' said Torralba in a
message to defense reporters sent through Prime Berunia of the DND public affairs service.
'It will be finalized when Thailand convenes the ADSOM Working Group early next year. We will know where it
will be taking place,' added Torralba.
Washington's proposal to train with the regional bloc comes as the the Asean navies conducts their first-ever
maritime training exercise with China beginning this week, which is being joined by the Philippine Navy by
sending one of its ships.
The weeklong exercise was originally slated from October 22 up to 29, and which excluded the US, will be held
in Chinese waters, off the coast of Zhanjiang, China.
The joint Chinese and Asean navy exercise was proposed by Beijing in February this year during the Asean
Defense Ministers Meeting in Singapore, wherein it moved for the exclusion of the Asean's other key regional
security partners.
The planned regional naval exercise with the US was seen as Washington's response to the Chinese-Asean war
games.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Navy will also accord honors to a visiting Indonesian Navy ship that will dock today
(Monday) at Pier 15 in South Harbor, Manila.
Navy Spokesman Commander Jonathan Zata said the Kri Bima Suci (945) will be in the country for a three-day
goodwill visit.
Zata said the Navy will also render an arrival ceremony for the 300-man contingent onboard the BRP Tarlac (LD
601), which is arriving from a port visit in Vladivostok, Russia.
Document ABUSMR0020181023eeam0000d

Maritime drill addresses interoperability issues: Navy chief
PNA
471 words
9 November 2018
PHILNA
English
Manila, Nov. 9 -- The recently-concluded ASEAN-China Maritime Exercise (ACMEX) has greatly addressed
interoperability issues between the participating navies, a Philippine Navy (PN) official said Thursday.
"Itong exercise will reduce the issue of inter-operability, so maganda yung nakakapag-communicate yung barko
natin sa barko ng China (This exercise will reduce the issue of interoperability and it's good that our naval ships
can now communicate with those of China and other ASEAN navies). It's a good exercise and hope we'll have
more of this in the future," PN Flag-Officer-in-Command, Vice Admiral Robert Empedrad, said during the
welcome ceremony for the BRP Dagupan City (LC-551) and the 200-contingent aboard.
The BRP Dagupan City took part in the ACMEX held in Zhanjiang, China on October 21-28.
The welcome ceremony was held at the Commodore Divino Pier, Naval Station Jose Andrada, Manila.
Empedrad further said the crew members of BRP Dagupan City showed their skills, winning the communication
drill exercise.
"Sending one contingent to represent the PN is a strong statement that we are one with the community of
maritime nations who believe in unity and collaboration, especially in addressing mutual concerns, such as
calamities that may affect any nation anytime," the PN chief earlier said.
The ACMEX 2018, which was hosted by the Republic of Singapore Navy and the China People's Liberation
Army Navy, aimed to promote regional cooperation among the navies of the ASEAN member states, focusing
on maritime safety and search and rescue at sea with emphasis on the use of Code of Unplanned Encounter at
Sea (CUES).
In Zhanjiang, China, the PN contingent joined activities that served as an avenue to learn from and enhance
relationship with the participating navies. During the shore sub-phase, activities such as diving operations and
seminar exchange, medical seminar exchange, and flight deck familiarization were conducted. While on the sea
sub-phase, communication drills, ships group formations, joint search and rescue, cross helicopter deck landings,
and replenishment at sea approaches in accordance with the CUES were also executed.
BRP Dagupan City left Sangley Point, Cavite last Oct. 17, arriving in Zhiangjiang, China on October 20.
The ship has a displacement of 4,265 tons at full load, is 273 feet long, has a draft of 12 feet, and has a top speed
of 12 knots. It was commissioned in PN service during the 1990s.
Earlier, defense spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said the proposal for a joint ASEAN and Chinese naval
exercise was submitted during the ASEAN Defense Minister Meeting in Singapore last February.
contentservices@htlive.com
Document PHILNA0020181109eeb90008f

NATIONAL
India, Singapore begin sea drills
Special Correspondent,
267 words
12 November 2018
The Hindu
THINDU
English
(c) 2018 Kasturi & Sons Ltd
New Delhi,NATIONAL Missile and torpedo firings to be part of this year’s bilateral naval exercise The 25th
edition of the India-Singapore bilateral naval exercise, SIMBEX, has begun at the tri-services command in Port
Blair.
The exercise, which kicked off on Saturday off the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal, will conclude on
November 21.
Launched in 1994
“Started as basic Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) exercises in 1994, today these exercises have graduated to
complex maritime combat drills, including missile and torpedo firings, and shore-based intensive professional
exchanges,” the Navy said in a statement.
Seven ships from the Indian Navy and five ships from the Singapore Navy along with an Archer class submarine
and a Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle will take part in the exercise.
Maritime patrol aircraft of both countries, P8I of Indian Navy and Fokker F50 from Singapore, will also take
part.
The number of missiles and torpedo firings being undertaken are in fact unprecedented and perhaps the largest
the Indian Navy has undertaken with any foreign Navy till date, the Navy added.
Logistical support
The two countries have vastly expanded their military cooperation in recent years under India’s Act East policy.
Late last year, the two countries signed a naval agreement which has a provision for mutual logistical support
and gives India access to the Changi naval base.
India and Singapore are working on a trilateral exercise with an Association of South East Asian Nations
(ASEAN) country, likely Thailand, and eventually plan to scale it up to a multilateral format.
Document THINDU0020181112eebc0001i

Vietnam holds first planning conference for AMNEX 2/2020
264 words
21 December 2018
VIETNA
English
© 2018 iInvest Pty. Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
(VNA) – The High Command of Vietnam People’s Navy on December 20 held the first planning conference in
Nha Trang for the second ASEAN Multilateral Naval Exercise (AMNEX 2/2020), which will take place in
Vietnam in 2020.
The event was attended by naval officers of ASEAN countries and representatives of the Lao People’s Army and
Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence.
Following the success of the first AMNEX held by the Royal Thai Navy in 2017, Vietnam will host the second
AMNEX in May, 2020. To prepare for the exercise, the Vietnam People’s Navy will hold three planning
conferences, according to deputy chief of staff of the Vietnam People’s Navy Colonel Dam Xuan Tuan.
During the conference, the Vietnam People’s Navy announced the plans for the AMNEX 2/2020 and related
events and received recommendations from the navies of other ASEAN states for plans relating to logistic
works.
Naval officers from ASEAN countries and representatives of the Lao armed forces later visited the Vietnam
Naval Academy and Cam Ranh Port in Nha Trang.
Last year, Vietnam’s naval ship HQ 012-Ly Thai To attended the first AMNEX and an international fleet review
on and around Sattaship Naval Base in the north of the Gulf of Thailand from November 14 – 29.
The AMNEX 2017 featured a harbour-phase exercise, an oil-spill response symposium, discussions on marine
environment protection and arrest of ships carrying illegal chemicals, and sport exchanges.
The event was part of activities to mark the 50th ASEAN anniversary.
Document VIETNA0020181221eecl001e1

PH Navy expands presence with missile, blue water capability
PNA
3,001 words
24 December 2018
PHILNA
English
<
Manila, Dec. 24 -- img src="http://files.pna.gov.ph/source/2018/11/21/spike-er-missiles-arming-navy-

mpacs.jpg">
2018, which will end in a few days time, can be considered as a banner year for the Armed Forces of the
Philippines, especially the Philippine Navy (PN), as it formally entered the missile age and demonstrated its
capability to sail beyond its territorial waters during deployments to the US, South Korea and Russia.
This is aside from projected deliveries of new assets for 2019, such as the AgustaWestland AW-159 "Wildcat"
helicopters and the "Pohang"-class frigate donated by South Korea to the Philippines.
The PN's formal entry to the missile age took place off Lamao Point, Limay, Bataan last Nov. 21, when three of
its multi-purpose assault craft (MPACs) fired the newly-acquired and installed Rafael Advanced Defense Ltd.
Spike-ER (extended range) surface-to-surface missile during a capability demonstration witnessed by Defense
Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and Navy flag-officer-in-command Vice Admiral Robert Empedrad.
During the exercise, the MPACs fired two Spike-ER missile rounds, which hit two surface targets. The said craft
also utilized remote-controlled .50 caliber machine guns to neutralize another target.
An AgustaWestland AW-109 attack helicopter armed with 2.75-inch high-explosive rockets also provided air
support to the MPACs by firing its weapons. "Impressive. Not one (missile) round was wasted," Lorenzana said
in describing the Spike-ER capability demonstration, which he witnessed aboard the BRP Davao Del Sur (LD-
602).
He said this is no mean feat considering that the seas were quite rough at the time. "(Modern) technology has
come to the Navy and we will use this technology to protect our seas," the DND chief emphasized.
A single Spike-ER missile round costs an estimated PHP10 million, which makes accuracy for the PN a virtue.
The first test-firing of the Spike-ER missile took place last Aug. 9 in the same location.
The weapon was fired from one of the PN's three Spike-ER armed MPACs.
The MPACs were constructed by the Subic-based Propmech Corporation and activated on May 22, 2017.
The PN MPAC Acquisition Project entered into a contract with Rafael, through SIBAT of Israel Ministry of
Defense, for the supply and integration of the weapons systems to three Mark III MPACs.
On April 15, 2017, Lorenzana approved the Notice to Proceed.
The Spike-ER system, which arrived in the country last April, is the PN's first missile weapon capable of
penetrating 1,000-mm (39 inches) of rolled homogeneous armor and has a range of eight kilometers.
More missile-armed MPACs needed to defend PH waters

Empedrad, meanwhile, said missile-armed MPACs can be utilized to defend Philippine waters through the so-
called "swarming tactic", where these craft will be committed to engage larger and more capable ships posing a
threat to the country's waters.
The PN chief added that the Navy needs an additional 42 MPACs to further enhance its capabilities to defend the
country's waters.
"Based on our matrix, dapat magkaroon tayo ng (we should have) 42 of these type of vessels, (the) MPACs. (We
only have) nine, (with another) three coming over next year with the same missile capability. So kung sabay-
sabay gumalaw yan (If these ships will operate simultaneously), when we are under siege, I think this will do
harm to any threat whether internal or external," Empedrad said last Nov. 21 aboard the strategic sealift vessel
BRP Davao Del Sur.
MPACs are high-speed naval craft capable of speeds in excess of 40 knots and can be utilized for a variety of
naval missions like patrol and fire support missions for troops.
It can also be armed with machine guns, missiles and a variety of other weapons.
In the same briefing, Lorenzana said the Spike-ER missile system acquisition will be followed by big-ticket
items like frigates and corvettes, which will also be armed with more powerful and longer-range missiles.
He also added that the Spike-ER is an indication that the PN is now being upgraded and modernized to be at par
with its neighbors.
Aside from deterring intruders off Philippine waters, the PN's brand-new MPACs are also ideal for suppressing
pirate threats in Sulu waters, the defense chief added.
He added that with its high-speed and modern armament, the MPAC is well suited in neutralizing pirates and
other threats infesting the same waters. Empedrad supported this observation by the defense chief as the MPAC's
secondary weapn, the remote-controlled .50 caliber machineguns are ideal for anti-piracy missions.
"(The) .50 caliber (machineguns) can be used for pirates. Certainly we will not use (a Spike-ER) missile to
destroy (a) small banca na naka-board na Abu Sayyaf, but we can use the .50 caliber machinegun, (it's the
MPAC) secondary capability. Automated siya, (and) kahit maalon we can hit the target very accurate(ly)," he
added.
And when it comes to using the expensive Spike-ER missiles, Empedrad said that they have a doctrine to use
when its comes to the usage of the weapon. "For the missile, we have a doctrine (to follow) when to fire the
missile because it's (worth) PHP10 million. Alangan naman iputok namin sa isang bangka ang PHP10 million na
missile, so lugi tayo diyan (Of course, we won't fire on a boat a missile that is worth 10 million. It's
uneconomical)," he added.
More missile weaponry in the pipeline for PH Navy
With the successful integration of the Spike-ER surface-to-surface missile in the PN's MPAC squadron, more
capable and powerful missile weaponry are now in the pipeline for the Navy, according to Navy spokesperson
Commander Jonathan Zata.
"(Yes). It (Spike-ER) ushered the Navy and the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) to the missile age and
also prepares for the forthcoming acquisition of a more sophisticated and powerful weapons systems and
capabilities," he said.
Zata added that the PN will gain more capability to operate modern naval weaponry with the arrival of the
Pohang-class frigate next year.
"The Pohang-class frigate from ROK will also be delivered by next year equipped with a better weapons system
that the Navy can already use as it prepares for the delivery of the two purposely-built frigates starting 2020," he
stressed.

The Pohang-class frigate is equipped with a primary and secondary gun system, sensors and torpedoes for anti-
submarine as well as sensors for anti-air operations, Zata disclosed.
Progress steady in construction of Navy's first missile-armed frigates
The construction of the first missile-armed frigate by South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI)
is proceeding smoothly, Empedrad said.
"(Construction for) our (first-missile) frigate is moving forward, darating na siya sa February (or) March of
2020, all systems go and we should very happy, we should be happy for our country," he said.
The keel-laying for the first-missile-armed frigate took place last Oct. 16 in Ulsan, South Korea while the steel-
cutting for the second ship took place last Sept. 17.
HHI is expected to lay the keel of the second frigate by the first quarter of 2019.
The Philippines and HHI signed a PHP16 billion contract for two missile-armed frigates with another PHP2
billion set aside for its weapon systems and munition. The projected delivery date of the first frigate is by 2020
while the second one will be in 2021.
"The ceremony was conducted at the building dock number 6 of the Special and Naval Shipbuilding Division of
HHI. Three blocks of the first PN frigate (with HHI Project Number 159) was installed on the dock," Capt.
Sergio Bartolome, the PN officer supervising the project, earlier said.
Keel-laying formally starts starts the ship's construction and is among the four highlights of a vessel's life, with
the other three being launching, commissioning and decommissioning.
The keel is also considered the backbone of any ship and breaking or destroying will result in the destruction and
sinking of any water craft. The steel-cutting for the first frigate took place last April.
PN blue-water capability boosted thru international exercises
For the first time in its history, two PN ships, the BRP Davao Del Sur and BRP Andres Bonifacio (FF-17), joined
this year's "Rim of the Pacific" (RIMPAC) exercises, which took place in Hawaii on June 27 and ended Aug. 2.
Also deployed were around 700 sailors and marines.
RIMPAC is the world's largest joint and combined naval exercise.
The said assets and personnel participated in several RIMPAC exercises, which include helicopter cross-decking,
live-fire exercises, a special operations training, ground-air-integration, and replenishment-at-sea among others.
Lorenzana said international exercises like RIMPAC will greatly help in boosting the naval service for prolonged
operations at the seas.
"(RIMPAC) is also a good chance for our personnel to experience planning and execution of combined naval
operations as well as establish the Navy's capacity for prolonged operations overseas," he added.
Meanwhile, RIMPAC also proves that despite lacking modern ships and weapons, the PN has proven itself
capable of operating with its more modern naval counterparts.
"It (the exercise) also validated the age old principle that it's always the men behind the guns that will ultimately
make the difference. That inspite of the current capabilities of the Navy we were still able to perform very well
and at par with our more modern partners," Zata said.
He added that many lessons can still be gleaned once the after mission report of the PN contingent is submitted
and evaluated.
"The Philippine Navy's participation to RIMPAC 2018 trumpets the Command's commitment in promoting
multilateral cooperation to strengthen relationship and cooperation among participating navies of the world," the

PN spokesperson earlier said.
Aside from RIMPAC, the Navy made history with BRP Tarlac (LD-601) making the first-ever port visit of a
Filipino warship to Vladivostok, Russia.
The ship and its 300-man contingent aboard left Manila South Harbor last Sept. 21 and arrived in time for her
scheduled Oct. 1 to 6 port visit.
During its visit to Russia, the ship and the contingent aboard it participated in several activities, which enhanced
their relationship with their Russian counterparts.
Aside from this, PN personnel also got a chance to tour the Kilo-class diesel-electric submarine
"Komsomolskna-Amure 877" and the Russian Marine Firing Range.
Also, Russian Marines conducted a capability demonstration and had their Philippine Marine Corps counterparts
ran obstacle courses and perform pistol firing exercises.
Originally, BRP Tarlac was supposed to participate in the International Fleet Review (IFR), which was held on
Jeju Island, South Korea in honor of the 70th anniversary of the ROK Armed Forces last Oct. 11 to 15.
However, the ship experienced engine problems on its way to Vladivostok, forcing it to stay in Russia for two
more days to repair the damages.
BRP Tarlac was supposed to leave on Oct. 6 but the damage moved its departure date to Oct. 8.
BRP Tarlac arrived on Jeju Island, South Korea on Oct. 12, a day late for the IFR.
Despite this, Empedrad said the PN contingent was able to attend all other activities in connection with the IFR.
Another Navy milestone, in terms of overseas deployment, is the participation of BRP Dagupan City (LC-551)
and the 200-man contingent aboard her in the first-ever ASEAN-China Maritime Exercise (ACMEX) that took
place in Zhanjiang in Guangdong, China last Oct. 21 to 28.
The participation of the PN had greatly addressed inter-operability issues between the participating navies.
"Itong exercise (this exercise) will reduce the issue of inter-operability so maganda yung nakakapag-
communicate yung barko natin sa barko ng China (and it's good that our naval ships can now communicate with
China and other ASEAN navies), so it's a good exercise and hope we'll have more of this in the future,"
Empedrad said.
And despite being quite dated, the PN chief bared that the crew of the BRP Dagupan City showed their skills and
resulted in the PN winning the communication drill exercise.
"Sending one contingent to represent the PN is a strong statement that we are one with the community of
maritime nations who believe in unity and collaboration especially in addressing mutual concerns such as
calamities that may affect any nation anytime," the PN chief earlier said.
The ACMEX 2018 was an exercise hosted by the Republic of Singapore Navy and the China People's Liberation
Army Navy that aimed to promote regional cooperation between ASEAN member states navies and focused on
maritime safety and search and rescue at sea with emphasis on the use of Code of Unplanned Encounter at Sea
(CUES).
In Zhanjiang, the PN contingent actively participated in activities that served as great avenues for learning and
enhanced its relationship with the participating navies.
During the shore sub-phase, activities such as diving operations and seminar exchange, medical seminar
exchange, and flight deck familiarization, among others, were conducted.
While on the sea sub-phase, the communication drills, ships group formations, joint search and rescue, cross helo
deck landings and replenishment at sea approaches in accordance with the CUES were also conducted. BRP

Dagupan City and the 200-man contingent aboard her left Sangley Point, Cavite last Oct. 17 and arrived in
Zhanjiang on the 20th.
Commissioned in PN service during the 1990s, BRP Dagupan City has a displacement of 4,265 tons at full load.
It measures 273 feet long, has a draft of 12 feet and has a top speed of 12 knots.
Earlier, Defense spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said the proposal for a joint ASEAN and Chinese naval
exercise was submitted during the ASEAN Defense Minister Meeting in Singapore last February.
Anti-submarines choppers, more air assets for PH fleet
With the pending arrival of the Navy's first two AgustaWestland AW-159 "Wildcat" anti-submarine helicopters
by the first quarter of 2019, the PN will now have the capability to detect and engage underwater targets.
"It is a big leap essentially dahil (because) with this capability, we now have this tool (capable) of securing not
only the surface waters that we have but also underwater," Zata noted.
Prior to the acquisition of the AgustaWestland AW-159 "Wildcat" anti-submarine helicopter, the PN has no
capability to detect and engage sub-surface threats.
"(And with the arrival of the AW-159), we can detect submarines, we can detect underwater vehicles and also the
capability to engage underwater vehicles within our territory, so it's a tremendous leap from our current
inventory," Zata stressed.
He said the AW-159 will be based aboard the two new frigates being constructed by HHI and whose deliveries
are scheduled for 2020 and 2021.
The PN spokesperson said the aircraft will be fitted with sensors and weapons capable of neutralizing sub-
surface threats.
Earlier, the Department of National Defense (DND) said initial flight-testing is now ongoing for the two
Philippine-ordered AW-159 anti-submarine helicopters.
The aircraft were acquired for PHP5.4 billion, including its munition, mission essential equipment and integrated
logistic support.
"As confirmed by the Commander Naval Air Group. The (first) AW-159 have just started initial test flight as part
of the manufacturer's trial. It is still scheduled for a series of test flights before scheduling its handover to the
Philippines. According to CNAG, the flight signals the completion of the first unit," Andolong earlier said.
The AW-159 (previously called the Future Lynx and Lynx Wildcat) is an improved version of the Westland Super
Lynx military helicopter.
The helicopter has been ordered for the Royal Navy and British Army. It is capable of speeds of 291 km/h (181
mph), range of 777 km (483 miles), ferry range of 963 km (598 miles) and an endurance of one and a-half hours
(four hours and 30 minutes if fitted with auxiliary fuel).
The AW-159 can also be armed with rockets, machine guns, missiles, torpedoes and depth charges.
Meanwhile, the PN's surveillance and monitoring capability was boosted with the formal donation of the Japan
Maritime Self Defense Force of three more Beechcraft King Air TC-90 patrol aircraft last March 26.
"The (donation) is expected to boost the capability of the PN and enhance the capacity of its personnel primarily
in conducting maritime security and sovereignty patrols, as the Navy stays true to its commitment to protect the
seas and secure the nation's future," then PN spokesperson Capt. Lued Lincuna said.
He added that the PN has more than sufficient personnel to operate and maintain the Japanese-donated
Beechcraft King Air TC-90 aircraft.
Some six pilots, along with the necessary maintenance officers, have completed the maintenance training in

Sendai and Tokushima, Japan, prior the turned over of the aircraft last March 26.
The TC-90, which is part of the Beechcraft King Air aircraft family, was offered by Japan shortly after the
Agreement Concerning the Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology was finalized last Feb. 29, 2016.
The first two TC-90s were delivered to the Philippines on March 27, 2017 while the last three aircraft were
handed over to the PN last March 26.
The aircraft have a range of over 1,000 nautical miles, and a cruising speed of 226 knots. These are capable of
carrying eight passengers along with the pilots.
As of this time, the Navy is operating around six Norman Britten "Islander" patrol aircraft, five AgustaWestland
combat utility helicopters and one Robinson R-22 training helicopter.
Document PHILNA0020181224eeco0002v

Navies from 12 countries to hold joint exercise
308 words
28 April 2019
Korea Times
KORTIM
English
(c) 2019 Korea Times. All rights reserved.
By Yi Whan-woo
Twelve countries will join a naval exercise off Busan from Monday to Thursday to counter maritime crimes, the
Navy said Sunday.
It said the four-day exercise was the first of a two-part exercise involving 18 members of the ASEAN Defense
Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus), a defense dialogue involving ASEAN and other Asia-Pacific countries.
The second part of the exercise will take place from May 9 to 13 off Singapore.
The 12 countries participating this week are South Korea, the United States, China, Japan, Australia, India,
Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
They will send a combined 16 warships and six aircraft.
The remaining six ADMM-Plus members ? Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, New Zealand and Russia ?
will join as observers.
For this week’s exercise, South Korea will operate the 4,400-ton destroyer Wang Geon, the 2,500-ton frigate
Jeonbuk, the 4,900-ton landing ship Cheonjabong, two UH-60 helicopters and one Lynx helicopter. The Wang
Geon will also take part in the second part of the drills.
Led by the South Korean Navy, the first part of the exercise will focus on rescuing ships hijacked by armed
groups.
The Singaporean Navy will lead the second part of the exercise aimed at stopping and searching ships suspected
of carrying banned items.
Some military sources speculated that the Singapore drill was mainly targeting North Korea amid suspicions that
it has been engaged in ship-to-ship transfers of crude oil and other items banned by the United Nations.
From 2017 to 2020, South Korea and Singapore are serving as co-chairs of the maritime security expert working
group of the ADMM-Plus.
The ADMM-Plus was launched in 2010. It had meetings in 2010, 2013, 2016, 2017 and 2018.
Document KORTIM0020190429ef4s0000e

INTERNATIONAL
Indian warships take part in international maritime defence exhibition in Singapore
488 words
15 May 2019
PRTRIN
English
By Gurdip Singh
Singapore, May 15 (PTI) Two warships of the Indian Navy--INS Kolkata and INS Shakti--are participating in a
three-day Asia Pacific naval and maritime event being held here, according to an official statement.
The International Maritime Defence Exhibition Asia (IMDEX Asia-2019) commenced on May 14 and will also
witness the participation of some of India's leading engineering and ship building firms, including Larsen &
Toubro and BrahMos, which makes the state-of-the-art air, sea and ground launch cruise missiles.
"Vice-Admiral M S Pawar, Deputy Chief of Naval Staff led the delegation to the Asia Pacific gathering of naval
and maritime event," the Indian High Commission here said in a statement .
INS Kolkata is an advanced stealth destroyer capable of engaging multiple threats from the air, sea and
underwater and has been designed and built in India.
INS Shakti is a fleet support ship to provide fuel, provisions and munitions to warships at sea.
Following IMDEX, Indian Naval ships together with an Indian Navy surveillance aircraft P8I will participate in
the 26th edition of Singapore India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX) scheduled from May 16 to 22, 2019.
SIMBEX is the longest uninterrupted naval exercise that India has with any other country, the statement said.
“Regular participation by the Indian Navy in the IMDEX and SIMBEX reflects the importance India attaches to
the exercises and the broader strategic partnership with Singapore and it also reaffirms our Act East Policy,” it
said.
The 26th SIMBEX is taking place 6 months after the last edition that took place in the Andaman Sea and Bay of
Bengal from November 11 to 21 last year.
It involved live weapon firings and complex military maneuvers, including those of aircraft and submarines.
The 25th SIMBEX was witnessed by Singapore's Minister of Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen.
Earlier in October 2018, India's Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman visited Singapore to participate in the
ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting-Plus.
The Indian Army and the Singapore Army recently held their 12th edition of the annual exercise Bold
Kurukshetra, an annual joint training exercise for Armoured Units from April 8 to 12, 2019, at the Indian Army
training facility at Babina in Utta Pradesh, the statement said.
Likewise, Air Forces of both countries will exercise together later this year in India, it said.
India and Singapore share a strong and rapidly growing defence relation which is the key pillar of India
Singapore strategic partnership based on deep mutual trust and goodwill and shared interest in rules based order,
maritime security and an open, inclusive and peaceful Indo-Pacific region.

“Our defence relation include annual ministerial dialogue, Secretary level defence policy dialogue, Staff talks
between the three wings of the armed forces, mutual logistics support, regular exercises and exchange of ship
visits,” the statement said. PTI GS RUP RUP
Document PRTRIN0020190515ef5f006mx

INTERNATIONAL
India's multilateral naval exercises proves its commitment for Act East policy; says Indian envoy
640 words
16 May 2019
PRTRIN
English
By Gurdip Singh
Singapore, May 16 (PTI) India's profound role in conducting wide-ranging multi-lateral and bilateral naval
exercises proves its commitment towards the Act East Policy and an inclusive, open and balanced Indo-Pacific
region, India's High Commissioner to Singapore Jawed Ashraf has said.
Speaking at a reception on board INS Kolkata on Wednesday, Ashraf said that the multi-lateral and bilateral
naval exercises are part of India's growing strategic engagement and defence diplomacy in the South East Asian
region.
INS Kolkata and INS Shakti are participating in a three-day International Maritime Defence Exhibition Asia
(IMDEX) that commenced here on May 14.
"India conducts wide-ranging multi-lateral and bilateral naval exercises in the region and that complements the
country's diplomatic, economic, developmental and cultural ties in the region," he said at the event held to
celebrate the success of the Indian Navy in recent exercises and responses to disaster and rescue operations.
The IMDEX Asia-2019 also witnessed the participation of some of India's leading engineering and ship building
firms, including Larsen & Toubro and BrahMos, which makes the state-of-the-art air, sea and ground launch
cruise missiles.
Following the IMDEX, Indian Naval ships together with an Indian Navy surveillance aircraft P8I will participate
in the 26th edition of Singapore India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX) scheduled from May 16 to 22.
“In a couple of days from now we (India and Singapore) will begin our bilateral exercises that reaffirms India's
commitment to its Act East Policy and our shared commitment to the Indo-Pacific region and to uphold a rule-
based order,” Ashraf said.
Having just completed multi-lateral exercises with navies from 28 countries, India and Singapore will commence
26th SIMBEX, which is the longest uninterrupted bilateral naval exercise in the world.
"The 26th SIMBEX is taking place 6 months after the last edition that took place in the Andaman Sea and Bay of
Bengal from November 11 to 21 last year, Ashraf said, stressing the importance of regular exercises between the
two nations' defence forces.
The 25th SIMBEX involved live weapon firings and complex military maneuvers, including those of aircraft and
submarines. It was witnessed by Singapore's Minister of Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen.
“Together, we are expanding our horizon into multi-national exercises, working together in Asean Defence
Ministers Meeting-Plus, Exercise MILAN and working in trilateral format,” Ashraf said.
“This is a way we will work together to pursue our shared objectives of a peaceful and prosperous future for Asia
and beyond,” he added.
The Indian envoy said that as India has expanded its global footprint and looks more and more beyond its shores

and engages with the world.
He said that the Indian navy has been at the forefront as a true flag bearer of India's democratic values and
traditional ethos and true ambassadors of goodwill.
“Wherever they have gone, they have only left friendship behind and memories of a professional and
extraordinary navy willing to serve humanity and mankind,” he said, citing the recent response of three Indian
training ships reaching out to Mozambique in March 2019 as a first to respond and help the nation hit by grave
cyclone that caused devastation along the entire coastline.
He also recalled a similar response by Indian ships, which were diverted from Singapore to Indonesia in October
2018 after an earthquake and tsunami in Sulawesi.
“The navy men always have been the white knight of hope at the time of conflict and disaster and they truly, in
the creed of our country, in the values of our democracy and in the value that all navies, have worked for man
and humanity,” Ashraf said. PTI GS RUP RUP
Document PRTRIN0020190516ef5g00a9h

Opinion
Speaking Of Asia: When the French go marching in
Ravi Velloor
1,280 words
14 June 2019
The Straits Times
STIMES
English
The French and other Europeans, too, are flagging their worries about China's rise and shifting their security
policies accordingly in Asia
This year's edition of the Shangri-La Dialogue deservedly focused much attention on China's Defence Minister,
who was putting in an appearance at the premier regional security dialogue after having been represented by
lower-ranking delegates the past eight years. Without question, General Wei Fenghe delivered for his country,
producing a speech that can only be described as a masterclass in public diplomacy. His plenary address relayed
confidence and resolve, and even if a lot of it was meant for his home audience, it did impress the civilian and
military defence chiefs, analysts and other security-related people in the hall as well.
Yet, aside from the opening keynote and the US Defence Secretary's plenary address the next morning - the
format that the dialogue has fallen into - one speech that probably merited greater attention was delivered by
French Defence Minister Florence Parly.
NOBODY'S POODLE
Joking that she had "not come alone", Ms Parly reminded her audience that she was chaperoned by "a mighty
instrument of power projection berthed only a few miles from here". That blunt instrument was the aircraft
carrier Charles de Gaulle with its battle group, which includes destroyers, an oiler, Rafale fighters, helicopters
and the E2C Hawkeye early warning aircraft.
All this, she said, was meant to put flesh on the bones of President Emmanuel Macron's important policy speech
in Garden Island, Australia, where he made the case for an Indo-Pacific axis with France, India and Australia as
its backbone, but also including other regional powers.
It is interesting to note that the French are pointedly sailing in at a time when some Asian regional powers are
shuffling their feet and wondering how to get out of the way amid the escalating tensions as the US confronts
China with trade as the thin edge of the wedge.
Since the French are nobody's poodle - and certainly not of the United States - this can only be seen as
emblematic of the gathering sentiments in Europe towards China.
ST ILLUSTRATION: MIEL
"Asia's security matters to Europe," Ms Federica Mogherini, the European Union's High Representative for
Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, told the conference. "We have the ambition to be not only - as we are
already - the key economic partner for Asia, but also to become a global security provider or a security partner."
For the first time, an EU force recently participated in a multinational naval exercise hosted by Indonesia, and
the Brussels-headquartered body is deploying military advisers in several of its missions or "delegations" across
Asia - starting with the delegation to Asean in Jakarta.
EUROPE'S VIEW OF CHINA THREAT

On a map, the Indo-Pacific region would seem a long way from home for Europe. Indeed, it is easy to dismiss
the interest shown in its security affairs by continental powers as driven more by the opportunities of selling
aircraft, tanks and submarines to the world's biggest arms market than to uphold any particular universal values
or principles.
France's defence and technological and industrial base comprises a dozen world-class firms and around 4,000
small and medium-sized companies; sustaining their vitality is a prime concern for Paris.
That said, there clearly is more to the situation.
For France, Djibouti came as a wake-up call, said a senior official at the Quai d'Orsay, headquarters of the
French Foreign Ministry, referring to China's move to set up a defence outpost in the French-and Arabic-
speaking country strategically located in the Horn of Africa where France maintains a base, as does the US.
"But it is not just we French alone. All of Europe is stirring to the China threat, including the Germans. Even the
Italians are concerned, never mind the MOU they signed on the Belt and Road Initiative when (Chinese
President) Xi Jinping came calling."
Tellingly, the 12th edition of the US-led Schriever Wargame, held last October to explore critical space issues,
included three European powers - Britain, Germany and France - and Japan. The previous year, Britain was the
sole European presence in the room and the only other non-US officers present were from Canada, New Zealand
and Australia.
To get a sense of how much change there has been in European attitudes towards China, which it once eyed with
enthusiasm as a trading partner, look no further than the report issued in January by Federation of German
Industries (BDI), the country's apex industry chamber. In that report, BDI president Dieter Kempf called on the
German federal government and the European Commission to strengthen the EU in the face of competition with
China.
The BDI described China as a "systemic competitor" - borrowing a phrase used for China in the US National
Defence Strategy - and outlined 54 demands addressed to Berlin and Brussels in order to better meet the growing
challenges posed by the state-dominated Chinese economy.
"The People's Republic of China is establishing its own political, economic and social model," Mr Kempf said.
"No one should simply ignore the challenges China poses to the EU and Germany."
Then, in March, the EU called China "an economic competitor in pursuit of technological leadership and a
systemic rival promoting alternative models of governance". Observers noted this was a significant change of
tone from the previous EU-China strategy adopted three years ago.
Indeed, Ms Parly did not at all mince words when she told the Shangri-La Dialogue that it becomes a question of
principle when "rules are no longer the boundary of ambition". Her country, she said, had just completed its
Indo-Pacific strategy and that it took no Henry Kissinger to see the building blocks of a global confrontation
taking shape here in Asia.
"We see it in trade wars, tech wars, currency wars, wars of words, and the occasional brush between two aircraft
or two ships," she said. "This is only the beginning."
FRENCH MILITARY FOOTPRINT IN ASIA
The French Indo-Pacific strategy paper is quite revelatory. Its graphical element shows a major power that has a
significant physical presence stretching from the northern and southern Indian Ocean to New Caledonia and
French Polynesia in the Pacific Ocean.
Some 7,000 personnel are stationed permanently throughout the whole area: 4,100 in the Indian Ocean and 2,900
in the Pacific Ocean, and they are backed by 18 defence attaches accredited to 33 countries in Asia and Oceania.
There is also a French liaison office at the headquarters of the US Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii.
The paper also lists an astonishing array of exercises it conducts with Asian powers, particularly India with
which it conducts war games on land, sea and air - a level of contact with the South Asian power that would

appear to rank only just below New Delhi's defence ties to the US.
Alongside, the broader EU defence policy is on the march, figuratively and literally. In the last 30 months, things
have moved swiftly on that front, reversing the decades when the 28-member body sought only soft power.
"The 'coming from Venus-coming from Mars' debate is long done," said Ms Mogherini at the conference. "We
are now also a defence player not only regionally but globally as well."
No one quite knows where all this will end. But certainly, many clouds are gathering and, at the very least, Asian
waters are set to see a significantly expanded number of grey hulls. What a pity!
Document STIMES0020190613ef6e005a5

Vietnam to join first ASEAN -US maritime exercise
255 words
23 August 2019
VENEWS
English
Vietnam will participate in the first US-ASEAN joint maritime exercise held next month in the Gulf of Thailand.
The participation was confirmed at a press conference on August 22 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang.
Hang said the joint maritime exercise will take place September 2-6, and as an ASEAN member, Vietnam will
participate in it.
She also said the exercise was being carried out under an agreement reached last year between ASEAN and U.S.
defense officials, but gave out no details of Vietnam’s participation.
A Bangkok Post report said the exercise "would involve at least eight ships along with aircraft." It would begin
at Thailand’s Sattahip naval base and extend to the tip of Vietnam’s southernmost Ca Mau Province, the report
said.
Last October, the Vietnamese navy sent its 015 Tran Hung Dao frigate to participate in a five-day joint naval
exercise with ASEAN and China at Zhanjiang City, Guangdong Province. The event aimed to foster stability
and relieve tensions in the region.
In June last year, Vietnam’s defense ministry also sent eight naval officers to Hawaii to participate in the 2018
Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) Exercise, the world’s largest multinational naval drill held every two years.
Participating in the one-month maritime exercise were 47 surface ships, five submarines, 18 national land forces,
and more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 naval forces. (E.vnexpress.net – August 22)
Document VENEWS0020190823ef8n0002h

US, ASEAN to Stage Joint Naval Drills in Gulf of Thailand
720 words
23 August 2019
Government Publications and Press Releases
GOVPUB
English
US, ASEAN to Stage Joint Naval Drills in Gulf of Thailand
2019-08-23
Amid tensions in the contested South China Sea, the navies of the United States and the 10 ASEAN member-
states will stage their first combined maritime exercise in early September in the Gulf of Thailand, the Thai Navy
announced Friday.
The five-day drills consisting of at least eight ships and two aircraft will kick off from the Sattahip Navy Base in
Thailand's Chonburi province on Sept. 2 and conclude on Sept. 6, according to a statement released by the Thai
Navy.
Thai Rear Admiral Sompong Nakthong and Capt. Matt Jerbi, commodore of Destroyer Squadron 7 with the U.S.
Navy's Seventh Fleet, will lead the drills, the statement said.
The drills involving the United States and navies from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will be "the
first multilateral maritime exercise between the navies of the ASEAN countries and the U.S. Navy," it said.
The ASEAN-U.S. Maritime Exercise is aimed "at creating mutual cooperation in maritime security building,"
the statement said.
"It focuses on prevention and suppression of illegal activities in the seas. Members will share information, build
awareness and co-operate under the international law and each individual country's law," the statement added.
The drills will extend from Chonburi to the tip of Ca Mau, Vietnam's southernmost province, Kyodo News
reported.
Vietnam and three other ASEAN countries -- the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei -- along with Taiwan and
China have territorial claims in the South China Sea, where tensions have been high lately over Chinese
maritime activities. Beijing claims nearly all of the sea, including areas close to its neighbors.
In June, officials in Manila voiced anger after a Chinese trawler struck and sank an anchored Philippine fishing
boat in waters claimed by the Philippines.
Officials from the United States, meanwhile, have accused Beijing of "its bullying behavior" in the sea region.
On Thursday, the U.S. State Department said Washington was deeply concerned about a series of "aggressive
steps" by China in recent weeks, including Beijing's alleged interference with Hanoi's oil and gas activities in
Vietnam's Exclusive Economic Zone in the sea.
The State Department cited China's redeployment of a government-owned survey vessel, together with armed
escorts, into waters offshore Vietnam near Vanguard Bank on Aug. 13 as an "escalation by Beijing in its efforts
to intimidate other claimants out of developing resources in the South China Sea."
The coordinated drills by the U.S. and ASEAN navies will take place in the Gulf of Thailand nearly a year after
ASEAN and China staged their first joint naval exercise off Zhanjiang, in Guangdong province, in October
2018.
On Friday, spokespersons for the U.S. Department of Defense in Washington and the U.S. Indo-Pacific
Command in Honolulu did not immediately respond to emails from BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news

service, seeking more information about the upcoming drills in the Gulf of Thailand.
In Hanoi on Friday, Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc expressed "deep concern" about the recent
developments in the South China Sea.
The first public official statement from the head of the Vietnamese government on the South China Sea after the
Chinese fleet of oil exploration ships entered the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf of Vietnam for
the second time came during a news conference with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in Hanoi.
In what Australian media said was a thinly veiled swipe at Beijing's aggression in the South China Sea, stressed
the importance of an "open, inclusive and prosperous Indo-Pacific neighborhood".
"An Indo-Pacific where we respect each other's sovereignty and independence, because if we allow the
sovereignty or independence of any of our neighbors to suffer coercion, then we are all diminished," he said.
In Washington on Friday, about 100 Vietnamese-Americans staged a protest at the Chinese embassy, calling for
and end to Chinese incursions at Vanguard Bank and in Vietnam's EEZ.
Reported by BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service, and by RFA's Vietnamese Service.
Copyright (c) 1998-2011, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300,
Washington DC 20036.
Document GOVPUB0020190823ef8n00003

BRP Ramon Alcaraz deployed for US- Asean naval drills
PNA
402 words
29 August 2019
PHILNA
English
Manila, Aug. 29 -- The Philippine Navy (PN) on Thursday deployed the BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PS-16) for the
first Asean-United States Maritime Exercise (AUMX), which will be held at Sattahip, Thailand from September
2 to 6.
The send-off ceremonies for the ship and the 200-man contingent took place at Pier 13, Manila South Harbor.
Representing the PN flag-officer-in command Vice Admiral Robert Empedrad in the event was the chief-of-
naval staff, Rear Admiral Loumer Bernabe.
"As this demonstrates our capability as well as our commitment to make Southeast Asia secured and progressive
and an opportunity to strengthen close ties with counterparts in our shared efforts to maintain peace and security
in the Asean region," Bernabe said in a statement.
He also urged all members of Naval Task Group 80.5 to be models of "excellence and high standard of
professionalism at all times" and enjoined them "to be at your best while on your mission and take this
opportunity as well to learn as much as you can".
AUMX 2019, the first-ever maritime drill between the navies of the Asean member states and the United States,
is co-hosted by the Royal Thai Navy and the US Navy.
Operating under the theme "Enhancing Shared Awareness and Interoperability in the Maritime Domain", this
maritime exercise aims to promote maritime security and safety, freedom of navigation and overflight, and
unimpeded commerce in accordance with universally recognized principles of international law.
The exercise proper will be executed off the eastern waters of Thailand, where sea and air assets, and special
operations teams of participating navies will conduct combined maneuvers to address various contingencies at
sea.
This naval exercise is a platform on how the PN and other navies in the region can cooperate and work
altogether to address shared maritime security priorities through the development of combined operational
doctrines, practices and naval tactics.
The PN's participation in this undertaking is expected to advance its maritime operational capability to
multilateral level thereby increasing readiness and interoperability and enabling the nation's premiere maritime
force to assert more efficiency in the conduct of its mandated task.
Document PHILNA0020190829ef8t000bb

World
Singapore in first joint naval exercise with India and Thailand
Lim Min Zhang

332 words
17 September 2019
The Straits Times
STIMES
English
The first joint maritime exercise by the navies of Singapore, India and Thailand began in Port Blair, India,
yesterday.
Singapore's Defence Ministry said it will last five days and involve five ships from the three nations and more
than 500 participants.
The exercise comprises a shore phase at Port Blair that involves planning and professional exchanges, and a sea
phase starting tomorrow, during which the navies will carry out manoeuvring, navigation, gunnery drills and
boarding operations in the Andaman Sea.
The Defence Ministry said the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) is taking part with the Formidable-class
frigate, RSS Tenacious.
At the opening ceremony in Port Blair, the RSN ship's commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Michael Chan,
said the exercise underscores the responsibility of countries to collaborate to keep sea lines of communication
open as well as strengthens the ability of the three navies to work together.
The joint exercise also reaffirms the longstanding defence ties among Singapore, India and Thailand, the
ministry added.
The drill was announced in June last year by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his keynote address at the
14th Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual defence forum whose participants include defence ministers, senior defence
officials and academics. Mr Modi had said India would start a new trilateral exercise with Singapore, in the hope
that it would be extended to other Asean countries. Related Story
US, South-east Asia to hold first joint maritime drill
The Singapore and Indian navies interact regularly through a range of activities, including staff talks and training
courses. The 26th edition of the Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise concluded in May this year.
Lieutenant-Colonel Michael Chan (right), commanding officer of the Republic of Singapore Navy's RSS
Tenacious, one of the five ships taking part in the five-day Singapore-India-Thailand Maritime Exercise, at a
planning exercise with other drill participants in Port Blair, India, yesterday.
Document STIMES0020190916ef9h005zo

ST
Larger-scale military exercises in store as Singapore and China upgrade defence pact
Tan Dawn Wei

445 words
20 October 2019
The Straits Times
STIMES
English
BEIJING - Singapore and China have upgraded a defence pact that will include frequent high-level dialogues
and larger-scale military exercises across their army, navy and air force.
Troops from the two countries will also visit each other under a new Visiting Forces Agreement, while a mutual
logistics support arrangement was also struck.
The new collaboration is a top-up of the Agreement on Defence Exchanges and Security Cooperation, signed in
2008. That agreement formalised ongoing defence collaboration such as exchanges of visits and port calls.
On Sunday (Oct 20), Singapore's Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen and his Chinese counterpart General Wei
Fenghe signed the enlarged deal in Beijing, ahead of China's annual security conference, Xiangshan Forum,
where Dr Ng will speak on Tuesday.
Besides a regular ministerial-level meeting, the two sides also promised to continue to send their top defence
officials to multilateral conferences, such as Singapore's annual Shangri-La Dialogue and China's Xiangshan
Forum in Beijing.
There will also be academic exchanges between military academies and think-tanks, while a bilateral hotline will
be set up.
While this year will be Dr Ng's fourth time speaking at the Xiangshan Forum, which is now into its ninth year,
China has for much of the past decade sent lower-level officials to the high-profile Shangri-La Dialogue.
But all that changed this year, when General Wei became the first Chinese defence minister to attend the security
conference since 2011, amid growing rivalry between the United States and China in the region.
The Republic lined up its top men to meet the general when he visited: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Deputy
Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, and Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee
Hean.
When Singapore was Asean chair last year, it also helped usher in the first joint maritime exercise between the
South-east Asian bloc and China, held in October.
Earlier on Sunday, Dr Ng also had a bilateral call with General Wei, where the two talked about institutionalising
and scaling up their joint army and navy exercises, Exercise Cooperation and Exercise Maritime Cooperation.
Exercise Cooperation, between the Singapore Armed Forces and China's People's Liberation Army, held its
fourth instalment in July in Singapore, while the naval exercise first started in 2015.
A statement from Singapore's Defence Ministry said Dr Ng's visit to China "reflects the growing defence and
bilateral ties between both countries".
Dr Ng will call on General Xu Qiliang, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, on Monday.

Document STIMES0020191020efak000m9

Politics: Vietnam’s Naval Force Prepares for IMR 2020 and AMNEX 2-2020
112 words
24 October 2019
VIETNB
English
The Vietnam People’s Navy hosted a mapping conference in central Khanh Hoa province on October 21-23 on
the preparation for the International Maritime Review in 2020 (IMR Nha Trang 2020) and the second ASEAN
Multilateral Naval Exercise in 2020 (AMNEX 2-2020), state media reported.
The event featured officials from naval forces of ASEAN nations, West Pacific nations, Laos’ army, among
others (with plan to send ships to those events).
IMR 2020 and AMNEX 2-2020 will take place on the occasion of Vietnam’s ASEAN Chairmanship 2020 and
the 65th anniversary of the Vietnam People’s Navy.
Document VIETNB0020191024efao0000m

CHINA PROPOSES ANOTHER MARITIME EXERCISE WITH ASEAN
LINDA KHOO HUI LI

252 words
19 November 2019
Bernama Daily Malaysian News
BRNAMA
English
(c) 2019 Bernama - Malaysian National News Agency
BANGKOK, Nov 19 (Bernama) -- After the successful maritime exercise in 2018, China has proposed to hold
another naval exercise with ASEAN to strengthen military ties and promote maritime security in the region.
Bernama learns that China’s Defence Minister, Wei Fenghe has expressed China's interest to hold another
multilateral naval exercise in informal meetings with ASEAN Defence Ministers on Sunday.
According to the source, all defence ministers noted the proposal but it was not finalised.
"China needs to put up an official proposal before the 10 members of ASEAN for the organisation to make a
decision. Any decision would be made unanimously,” he told Bernama here today.
In October last year, ASEAN and China held their first naval exercise at the naval base in Zhanjiang southern
China.
In September this year, ASEAN and the United State held their first maritime exercise from the Sattahip naval
base in Thailand and ended in Singapore.
Led jointly by American and Thai Navies, the exercise took place across international waters in southeast Asia
including the Gulf of Siam and South China Sea before finishing in Singapore.
Yesterday, the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) Plus in a joint statement said the maritime
exercises conducted by the 10 ASEAN countries with China and US reflected the practical cooperation towards
strengthening the centrality of ASEAN in the region’s security.
It said the naval exercises have enhanced the trust and confidence among member countries.
-- BERNAMA
KHL CHW
Document BRNAMA0020191120efbj00001

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• Ministry of Defence: India and Australia Agree to Step Up Defence Cooperation Progressively

• China, Russia concludes naval drills

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5/02/2013 06:48:13 RN Radio National Canberra Breakfast (Early) Fran Kelly

Duration - 545 seconds.

Stationphone - 02 8333 1500.

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Department of Defense Releases - Transcripts

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Q: Are you concerning reducing that -- the peacekeeping force?

(UNKNOWN): Now Xinhua News Agency, please.

Secondly, it is a relationship of cooperation and win-win. It is not a relationship of zero-sum game or

Finally, it is a relationship of openness and inclusiveness. It is not a relationship of exclusiveness or selfishness.

MR. LITTLE: We'll turn now to Jim Miklaszewski of NBC News.

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(UNKNOWN) (through translator): Now last question from (inaudible)

GEN. CHANG (through translator): Thank you.

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MR. LITTLE: Thank you, everyone.

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White House Press Releases

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Office of White House Press Secretary, 202-456-2100

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Kalyan Ray, New Delhi, Oct 1, 2013, DHNS:

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Oleh Syaiful Hakim

Jumlah pasukan yang diterjunkan, tambah KSAL, sebanyak

"Jadi ini latihan bagaimana prosedurnya memberi bantuan," katanya.

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Published by HT Syndication with permission from Philippines News Agency.

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The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

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Text of report by Indonesian newspaper The Jakarta Post website on 30 March

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Source: The Jakarta Post website, Jakarta, in English 30 Mar 14

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The 2014 Komodo officially wrapped up on April 3 in Riau Island province.

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