Sihanoukville (FN), May 28 – Cambodia and China successfully concluded the “Golden Dragon 2024” joint naval exercises, Ith Sarath, Deputy Commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF), spoke at the closing ceremony of the exercises on 27 May 2024.

The twelve-day exercises took place from 16-27 May 2024 under the theme of “Operation to release hostages from a terrorist hijacking of cargo ship” in Sihanoukville province.

Sarath praised the success and smooth execution of the first joint maritime exercise in Cambodian sea territory. He noted that the capacity of the Cambodian Navy has been enhanced through this joint exercise. In fact, the Cambodian Navy commanded all the exercises, including the release of hostages and the use of force.

He also mentioned that the Golden Dragon exercise on the sea between the two countries would make the Cambodian Navy more capable of defending the kingdom’s territorial waters from any enemy aggression. The maritime defence is important for the Cambodian navy, he added. Therefore, strengthening the capacity is a top priority.

"The joint maritime exercise is not exclusive to the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and the RCAF; similar exercises are conducted by many nations. Additionally, China holds joint maritime exercises with other countries, including Thailand and Malaysia. The joint exercise poses no threat to any other nation but aims to exchange experiences to further enhance the abilities of both countries' militaries, particularly in the fight against terrorism at sea," Sarath underscored.

The joint Cambodian-Chinese maritime exercise involved a total of 782 Cambodian-Chinese naval personnel, 14 vessels (11 Cambodian, 3 Chinese), and 2 helicopters. The drills focused on enhancing military cooperation in combating maritime terrorism, a regional and global concern. This operation aimed to improve both countries' abilities to rescue ships and hostages from international terrorists.

Ith Sarath stated that the Royal Government of Cambodia is open to conducting exercises with any friendly country. Interested nations should contact Cambodia to discuss potential exercises. Claiming that Cambodia refuses to engage in such activities is outrageous, as Cambodia considers all countries as friends.
=FRESH NEWS