The Chinese Ministry of Defence and a media outlet affiliated with it announced that China and Malaysia would hold a joint exercise in Malaysia and the surrounding waters this month. The exercise will focus on disaster relief measures and fighting piracy.

Beijing is attempting to strengthen defence co-operation with Southeast Asian countries, despite the tensions in the region due to contested waters in the South China Sea.

The China Military Bugle reported that the participating forces left China's military bases in Zhanjiang and Sanya on Wednesday for the October 15-23 exercise.

The outlet affiliated with the Chinese People's Liberation Army, or PLA, said that more than 1,000 personnel, including 700 from China, would be participating, as well as equipment ranging from helicopters and vessels to unmanned systems.

Chinese Defence Ministry announced earlier Wednesday that the sixth such exercise will be centered on "humanitarian aid, disaster relief and maritime security", with observers from the ASEAN grouping being invited.

The ministry said that the objective was to enhance the practical cooperation between Chinese and Southeast Asian militaries and to boost their ability to jointly combat non-traditional security challenges and to maintain regional peace.

The Malaysian defence ministry didn't immediately respond to an inquiry for comment.

In 2023 China will host the fifth such event, with Cambodia, Laos and Malaysia joining.

China claims sovereignty over almost all of the South China Sea despite claims from Brunei and Malaysia. The Philippines, Vietnam, and the Philippines also claim the same territory.

Malaysia is gearing up to host the annual ASEAN Summit next month. Leaders of the bloc are expected to discuss the progress made on a code of conduct for the South China Sea. From October 30 to 11, it will host the annual ASEAN summit, where leaders of the bloc are expected to discuss progress on a planned code of conduct for the South China Sea. Reporting by Chen Aizhu, Additional reporting in Kuala Lumpur by Rozanna latiff; Editing Clarence Fernandez

(source: Reuters)