Considered to be geopolitical rivals, the US and China have sent their troops for the first time to take part in a joint military exercise, Operation Formosa led by the Brazilian Armed Forces.
At Operation Formosa last year, the American troops from the Southern Command participated, while China took part as an observer.
Being held since 1998, Operation Formosa is one of Latin America’s largest military exercises. However, this year marks the first time when both the US and China have sent their troops to take part in it.
The exercise takes place near the city of Formosa, Brazil, and is different from that of Taiwan, which officially went by the same name in 1895.
A report by South China Morning Post (SCMP) quoted a Brazilian Armed Forces spokesperson as saying that 33 from the Chinese Navy and 54 from the US Navy are participating in Operation Formosa this year which will continue until next Tuesday.
Nearly 3,000 military personnel, including from Argentina, France, Italy, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Republic of Congo and South Africa have been taking part in the exercises, the Brazilian defence ministry said.
‘Customary to invite friendly nations’
The Brazilian Navy said, “It is customary to invite friendly nations to participate in these exercises. The importance of such invitations is directly linked to the opportunity to promote greater integration between the Brazilian Navy and the forces of friendly nations.”
When was the last joint military exercise between China & the US?
There has been no joint military exercises between the Chinese and American militaries since 2016, when Washington invited Beijing to the Rim of the Pacific Exercise, also known as Rimpac. For that, Beijing sent five warships and about 1,200 troops.
However, in the following editions of Rimpac, the US withdrew its invitation as punishment for China’s “continued militarisation of disputed features in the South China Sea”, the then-Pentagon spokesman Christopher Logan had stated.
The recent Rimpac was held in July this year and the Chinese military was again not part of it because of Beijing’s “reluctance to adhere to international rules or norms and standards”, US Navy Vice-Admiral John Wade, who commanded the exercise, had said.
China, US exchange views on issues of common concerns
Meanwhile, Beijing’s defence ministry informed that senior military officials from China and the US, on Tuesday, held a video call, during which they had “an in-depth exchange of views on issues of common concern”.
“On the morning of September 10, Wu Yanan, Commander of the Southern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, held a video call with (Samuel) Paparo, Commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command,” the statement by the ministry read.
This high-level military dialogue comes on the heels of the first visit to China by a US national security advisor since 2016 in late August.
China in Brazil military exercise, what does it signify?
China participating in Operation Formosa this year marks the latest step in expanding military cooperation between Beijing and Brasilia.
Back in 2015, Chinese troops participated in training programmes at Brazil’s Jungle Warfare Training Centre in Manaus, Amazonas state. The collaboration between the two nations was expanded during the Brazilian Peace Operations Joint Training Centre, which was hosted in 2017 by students of China.
In 2023, PLA (People’s Liberation Army) Navy officers visited Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia to hold extensive discussions with their Brazilian counterparts.
This year in July, General Tomas Miguel Ribeiro Paiva, commander of the Brazilian army, visited Beijing to “strengthen cooperation in academic affairs” and explore “collaborations in the fields of science, technology and defence industry.”
With inputs from agencies.
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Publish date : 2024-09-09 17:39:00
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