China navy is RIMPAC 'highlight'

The Chinese People's Liberation Army navy fleet participating in the Rim of the Pacific exercise has already conducted fruitful exchanges, according to Zhao Xiaogang, drills director of the Chinese fleet.

The Chinese fleet, which consists of four ships, joined multinational forces from the United States, Singapore and Brunei in Guam. They spent 10 days in a group sail from Guam to the islands of Hawaii, during which they refined their interoperability and conducted a number of exercises including personnel exchanges, weapons firing, ship-handling and maneuvering drills and communications drills.

"Such activities themselves are very successful exchanges. They help promote friendship and mutual understanding," Zhao told reporters on Monday.

Zhao said that attending the many receptions hosted by the navies of participating nations are also opportunities for great mutual exchanges. The Chinese navy hosted a deck reception on Saturday, which was attended by officers from the participating nations and senior officers from the US Pacific Fleet.

"I think it (RIMPAC) is a platform of great significance and with a good outcome," Zhao said. He revealed that the exchanges conducted by the PLA navy also included the Japanese and Philippine navies. Both US allies currently have maritime territorial disputes with China.

Zhao said it was natural for the Chinese fleet, which is participating in RIMPAC for the first time, to be put under the command of the US side.

He said the PLA navy's participation in RIMPAC is primarily aimed at promoting the steady and healthy development of a new type of relationship between the Chinese and US militaries.

It is also aimed at uniting navies from the participating nations to strengthen exchanges and deepen cooperation, and to demonstrate the positive attitude of the Chinese army in maintaining world peace and promoting regional security and stability, Zhao said.

He made the remarks at the opening day of RIMPAC on Monday, at which Vice-Admiral Kenneth Floyd, commander of the US Third Fleet, highlighted China's participation.

Floyd, who serves as commander of the 2014 RIMPAC Combined Task Force, noted on Monday that China and Brunei are participating in RIMPAC for the first time. Also this year, for the first time in RIMPAC's history, two hospital ships are taking part, Floyd said.

He was referring to the US Navy hospital ship the USS Mercy and the Chinese People's Liberation Army navy hospital ship the Peace Ark, which Floyd visited on Saturday in Pearl Harbor. The two hospital ships will conduct exchange programs during RIMPAC.

The four Chinese ships participating in RIMPAC are the missile destroyer Haikou, missile frigate Yueyang, supply ship Qiandaohu and hospital ship Peace Ark, with a total of 1,100 personnel, making it the second-largest contingent, following only the host nation, the US.

"The training at RIMPAC is realistic and relevant. The relationships that are forged at RIMPAC span oceans and years," Floyd said in a statement posted on Monday on the US Navy website.

"Ask any veteran of RIMPAC's past, and they will tell you that what stands out most in their memory is the chance to work alongside sailors of different navies and ships of different nations, improving their skills and building trust so that when we are called upon to respond to a crisis or disaster, we are ready to respond as a team," Floyd's statement read.

Harry Harris, commander of the US Pacific Fleet, said as the world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that helps armed forces increase transparency and foster the cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring security on the world's oceans.

This is the 24th RIMPAC exercise, as they started in 1971 and have been held biennially since. This year, it involves 25,000 sailors, marines, airmen and soldiers from 22 nations, 55 ships and submarines and more than 200 aircraft. The largest military drill in RIMPAC's history ends on August 1.

"Everyone standing here with me today recognizes how valuable a cooperative approach can be to sharing the workload and leveraging unique national capabilities," Harris said at the RIMPAC opening press conference in Pearl Harbor on Monday.

"We can all appreciate that conflict and crisis are bad for business. I think it's important to note that by simply attending RIMPAC, every nation here is making the bold statement that we must improve multinational military cooperation despite disagreements," he said.

"We can agree to disagree without being disagreeable," he said.

Douglas Paal, vice-president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, said he was glad China was sending ships to RIMPAC while other activities in the relationship were taking place.

Paal appeared to be referring to the indictment by US Justice Department of five PLA officers for the cybertheft of US corporate secrets, a move he interpreted as "non-strategic". China used to suspend its military exchanges with the US upon major disagreements, such as over US arms sales to Taiwan.

"If we can keep those two engaged, and they don't break off and get angry with each other, that will help," Paal said.

He believes this is especially important when commanders have each other's cellphone numbers and can call in the middle of a sudden crisis, such as ships running into each other or similar incidents.

The growing number of close encounters between the PLA navy and US Navy at sea has caused concern about possible accidents due to misunderstandings or miscalculation.

Colleen Hanabusa, a US congresswoman from Hawaii, said there is no question that China is a major player in the Asia Pacific Rim.

"I think China participating in RIMPAC and the role that China continues to play (in the region) is important," Hanabusa said.

"We are not going into military action. China is not going into military action. So we are in a better position that we all realize that the world is large enough for the great powers. And great powers must lead by example."

In Beijing on July 9-10, China and the US will embark on the 6th meeting of the China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, as US President Barack Obama's special representatives, will travel to Beijing for the S&ED. They will be joined by their respective Chinese co-chairs, State Councilor Yang Jiechi and Vice-Premier Wang Yang, along with high-level delegations from both sides.

The dialogue will focus on addressing the challenges and opportunities that both countries face on a wide range of bilateral, regional and global areas of immediate and long-term economic and strategic interest, according to a statement by the US Department of State.

In Beijing, Kerry will also participate in the 5th annual China-US Consultation on People-to-People Exchange on July 9-10 in coordination with Chinese Vice-Premier Liu Yandong.

In a meeting with US Ambassador to China Max Baucus in Beijing on Monday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said building a new type of major country relationship conforms to the fundamental and long-term interest of the two nations.

"It is also the expectation of the international community," Wang said.