BEIJING, March 9: Chinese Defense Ministry announced on Sunday that China will soon hold a joint naval exercise with Iran and Russia near Iran, with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy sending a destroyer and a replenish ship. A Chinese expert said the drill will help safeguard security in the strategically important energy shipping region.
In early and mid-March, navies of China, Iran and Russia will hold the Security Belt-2025 joint exercise in areas near Iran’s Chabahar Port, the Chinese Defense Ministry announced in its official Weibo account on Sunday.
The drill will feature training courses including maritime target strike, VBSS (visit, board, search, and seizure), damage control as well as joint search and rescue operations, according to a statement from the ministry.
It aims to deepen military mutual trust and pragmatic cooperation among the participating countries’ troops, according to the statement.
Security Belt-2025 will be the fifth China-Iran-Russia joint naval exercise since 2019.
Joint exercises among China, Iran and Russia have become routine, Song Zhongping, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times on Sunday.
As revealed by the Chinese Defense Ministry, the drill will mainly focus on training courses in non-traditional security fields, and this is conducive to the safeguard of security in the region, Song said.
The exercise will take place off the Iranian port of Chabahar in the Gulf of Oman, a crucial gateway between the Strait of Hormuz and the Indian Ocean, making it a strategic pathway crucial to energy shipping, Song said, noting that the three countries participating in the drills have energy cooperation as well as important strategic interests in maintaining peace and stability in the region.
China will send the destroyer Baotou and the replenishment ship Gaoyouhu from the PLA Navy’s 47th escort task group, the Defense Ministry stated.
The Baotou is a Type 052D guided missile destroyer, and the Gaoyouhu is a Type 903A comprehensive replenishment ship. Before this drill, the two PLA Navy warships also took part in the AMAN-2025 multinational maritime exercise in Pakistan in early to mid-February.
Zhang Junshe, another Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times that warships from the PLA Navy’s escort task groups to the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia frequently participate in joint exercises with foreign countries.
The Type 052D destroyer and Type 903A replenishment ship form a flotilla capable of diverse military operations with strong combat power and endurance, Zhang said.
