ADF is all the way with the PLA Brendan Nicholson Defence Editor Canberra AUSTRALIAN AUGUST 01, 2014 BEIJING has for the first time invited the Australian Defence Force to take part in a joint military exercise on Chinese soil in a sign of deepening military ties between the two nations. Exercise “Phoenix Spirit”, which will also involve troops from the US and New Zealand, will focus on disaster relief and will give the armed forces of all four nations an opportunity to learn from each other’s experiences. Chinese defence attache Senior Colonel Chen Wenrong revealed the plan at a reception in Canberra marking the 87th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army. Colonel Chen told the function, attended by senior ADF officers and a large gathering of fellow defence attaches and other diplomats on Wednesday night, that China was very keen to step up “Co-operation Spirit” exercises to enhance trust and regional stability. “This year will be of great significance to the bilateral defence relationship between our two countries,” he said. He said the chiefs of Australia’s army, navy and air force had all visited China this year and the invitation to the coming exercise was delivered by General Fan Changlong, vice-chairman of China’s Central Military Commission, during his recent visit to Australia. And he said Defence Minister David Johnston, ADF chief Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin and Defence Department secretary Dennis Richardson would all visit China for talks this year. Two ADF doctors have also been invited to work aboard the PLA navy hospital ship Peace Arch on a coming humanitarian voyage through the South Pacific. Colonel Chen said the military-to-military relationship between China and Australia was growing steadily stronger. The new vice-chief of the ADF, Vice-Admiral Ray Griggs, responded that defence co-operation between China and Australia would grow, particularly as both nations shared a vital interest in keeping international sea lanes open. The Abbott government announced last month that PLA troops would for the first time stage a joint military exercise, named Exercise Kowari, with the Australian Army and US forces in northern Australia in October. Phoenix Spirit is expected to follow Exercise Kowari and the ADF’s contribution is expected to involve mainly soldiers. A spokesman for Mr Johnston said Australia looked forward to participating in the exercise. “It will provide a valuable opportunity for participants to develop a deeper understanding of each other’s respective humanitarian assistance and disaster relief capabilities, plans and experiences,” the spokesman said. Last year, members of the ADF took part in an emergency response exercise in Christchurch with counterparts from China, New Zealand and the US. It was based on the lessons learned from the 2011 earthquake, which killed 185 people and destroyed much of that city.
Posted on: Fri, 01 Aug 2014 00:30:46 +0000