KAMPOT, Cambodia, Mar. 31 -- The counter-terrorism drill in mountainous area and the closing ceremony of China-Cambodia joint military training exercise "Dragon Golden 2020" were held on March 30, 2020, local time, in Kampot Province of Cambodia.
General Tea Banh, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense of Cambodia, together with Wang Wentian, Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia, attended and addressed at the ceremony, and military attachés from many countries observed the drill.
The counter-terrorism drill, conducted in the form of mixed grouping and joint operations of multi-arms, was carried out in four phases including reconnaissance and blockade, raid and rescue, seizure, control and clearance as well as force concentration and transfer. Throughout the drill, both militaries demonstrated the tactics of reconnaissance, blockade, strike, control and suppression in mountainous counter-terrorism operations.
After the comprehensive counter-terrorism drill, China and Cambodia held a closing ceremony for the joint military training exercise. Amb. Wang Wentian said in his speech that in the face of the interference of COVID-19, the Chinese and Cambodian militaries worked together to overcome difficulties and arranged training subjects scientifically and reasonably. They have balanced combat readiness training and pandemic prevention and control. This joint training will definitely leave a strong mark in the history of friendly cooperation between the two countries and the two militaries, said Amb. Wang.
Gen. Tea Banh stated that the success of the joint training exercise fully demonstrated the importance the two countries attach to the development of long-standing bilateral friendship. It implemented the consensus reached by leaders of the two countries, strengthened mutual exchanges, deepened the pragmatic cooperation between the two militaries, and jointly lifted the bilateral relationship to a higher level and achieved new results. The joint training made new contribution to building a community of shared destiny between the two countries, promoting the integration of China's Belt and Road Initiative with the Rectangular Strategy of the Cambodian government, and maintaining regional peace and stability.
According to Senior Colonel Zhang Tiren, head of the Chinese commanding group, during the joint training, Chinese and Cambodian troops focused on the new features of the terrorist forces and organized training on 10 subjects including raid and rescue, assault and deterrence, etc. They have improved the capability of jointly coping with international security threats such as terrorism, further consolidated the long-standing friendship between the two countries and the two militaries, and enhanced strategic mutual trust.
It is learnt that the China-Cambodia joint military training kicked off on March 15. In the context of counter-terrorism in unison, the training focused on simulating real combats against terrorism. The Chinese participating force is mainly from the 75th Group Army of the PLA. A total of 800 military personnel from both sides participated in the joint training.