The Chinese Navy on Sunday kicked off a biennial meeting of top foreign naval officials in the port city of Qingdao, in a show of military diplomacy that will be closely watched for signs of more engagement between China and the United States.
Item 1 of 5 A member of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy stands guard on the Shijiazhuang, a Type 051C guided-missile destroyer, as the Navy opens warships for public viewing to mark its upcoming 75th founding anniversary, at the port in Qingdao, Shandong province, China April 20, 2024.
Participants will hold closed-door talks on Monday, with seminars on topics such as addressing maritime security challenges. They will also discuss the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea, a set of guidelines formulated a decade ago, meant to de-escalate tensions between militaries at sea. It has not since been updated to cover drone warfare.
Tensions are particularly high around the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, where Manila has accused Beijing of "harassment", including the use of water cannons against Philippine vessels. "It is not an issue when the U.S. carries out defensive drills with the Philippines, but when these drills become offensive in nature and pose a threat to neighbouring countries, we must not only be on high alert but also respond."
Beijing aims to expand its ocean-going fleet, which some analysts predict will become the world's biggest by 2035. President Xi Jinping has repeatedly called for a "world-class" military to be established by 2027, the 100th anniversary of the People's Liberation Army's founding. In November, Australia accused China of injuring navy divers using sonar pulses from a Chinese warship.
MTPIX CWP DEF DIP GEN NUCL POL SECUR TRD EASIA INDCHI ASEAN TW MY BN PH VN SEASIA ASXPAC EMRG CN ASIA JP SCNSEA PACKAGE:WORLD-NEWS
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