BEIJING, Apr. 28 (ChinaMil) -- In the afternoon of April 26, 2019, Chinese Type 054 frigate Xiangtan set sail from a military port in Zhoushan, Zhejiang Province in East China, for a live-fire exercise in waters near the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Singapore, as part of the ASEAN Defence Minister’s Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) activities.
The live-fire exercise will hold from April 29 to May 15 in waters near the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Singapore. It includes 3 phases. Phase 1, from April 29 to 30, is the event communication check and opening ceremony at the port of Busan, the ROK; Phase II from May 1 to 12 is live-fire exercises focusing on rescuing ships hijacked by pirates, coping with maritime terrorist attacks, replenishment-at-sea positioning, helicopter cross deck landings, maritime information sharing, etc. In phase III from May 12 to 15, warship open day event and closing ceremony will be held in Singapore.
As an important multilateral security cooperation mechanism in the Asia Pacific region, the ADMM-Plus has carried out pragmatic cooperation in the fields of humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, maritime security, military medical service, counter-terrorism, peacekeeping and humanitarian minesweeping since its founding in 2010. Jointly sponsored by the ROK and Singapore, the exercise aims to promote mutual trust, exchanges and cooperation among participating countries and address the maritime security challenges effectively in the Asia-Pacific region.
The frigate Xiangtan(Hull 531) will carry a helicopter and a special forces team to take part in the exercise. With a displacement of over 4,000 tonnes, it is a new generation missile frigate developed and constructed by China. It is China’s main warship, with relatively strong remote surveillance, air defence and anti-submarine capacity.