BEIJING – Chinese and Singaporean navies will conduct a joint exercise in early September in the waters and airspace near Zhanjiang, South China's Guangdong province.

The exercise will include live-fire drills, underway replenishment and joint search-and-rescue operations, China's Ministry of National Defense said on Thursday.

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According to the ministry, the upcoming exercise is designed to deepen mutual trust, strengthen practical cooperation, and enhance their ability to jointly safeguard regional peace and stability.

China and Singapore held their first bilateral maritime exercise in 2015. Such joint exercises have become a regular part of military exchanges between the two countries in recent years.

In May 2025, the Chinese Navy dispatched a guided-missile frigate and a mine countermeasure vessel to Singapore for a joint exercise. With joint command and planning, the two sides conducted naval gunfire, replenishment-at-sea, joint search and rescue, among other activities.