By Alimat Aliyeva

China is conducting joint naval exercises with Singapore, which started the day before and will last until Thursday, Azernews reports.

The opening ceremony of the exercises took place yesterday in the Zhanjiang City District in the Chinese province of Guangdong. They are attended by the Type 054 frigate and the Type 082-II minesweeper of the Chinese Navy, as well as the Singapore ship RSS Stalwart from the "stealth" series of frigates of the "Formidable" type.

This is the third of a series of similar events after they began in 2015. The previous time they took place in the Singapore area in May 2023, SCMP recalls.

The defense ministries of the two countries previously stated that the current exercises will include joint strikes on surface targets, resupply at sea, search and rescue operations, helicopter landing on deck, artillery firing and maneuvering in the coastal zone.

The publication notes that the maneuvers are taking place against the background of growing tensions between China and the Philippines in the disputed waters of the South China Sea. So, last Saturday, August 31, the coast guard of China and the Philippines again entered into conflict at Xianbin Reef (English name - Sabine Shoal) - for the third time in August, the parties accuse each other of deliberate attempts to ram.