Chinese troops, frigate join Australia’s largest maritime drill for first time
Commander of the Australian Fleet says there are mutual benefits in building understanding and trust during the exercise
China is taking part for the first time in Australia’s largest maritime exercise as more than 3,000 personnel from 27 countries engage in joint training off the strategic northern port of Darwin.
Exercise Kakadu is hosting 23 ships and submarines from across the Indo-Pacific region, enabling them to establish familiarity which helps to prevent conflict on the high seas and to coordinate disaster relief efforts.
Commander Anita Sellick of the Australian frigate HMAS Newcastle said two Royal Australian Navy sailors were accepted onto China’s naval frigate Huangshan during the drill.
“Two of our Australian navy sailors are across actually, right now in the Chinese ship. So they’ve both been able to integrate within each other’s navy and learn a little bit of what life is like for them today in Exercise Kakadu,” Sellick said on Saturday.
The Huangshan arrived in Darwin on August 30, an official Chinese military news outlet reported earlier.
Commander of the Australian Fleet, Rear Admiral Jonathan Mead, said on Friday that there were mutual benefits in building understanding and trust during the exercise.
