October 8, 2025

In mid-to-late October 2025, the "Peace and Friendship-2025" joint exercise will be held in Malaysia and its nearby waters, the Chinese Defense Ministry announced in a statement on Wednesday. A Chinese military affairs expert said that the two countries share common needs in combating natural disasters and piracy, and that the joint drill contributes to maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea.

The Chinese participating forces on Wednesday have set out from military ports in Zhanjiang, Sanya, and Hong Kong, and proceeded to Malaysia via sea transport, China Military Bugle, an official media account affiliated with the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) News Media Center, reported on Wednesday.

More than 700 troops from the PLA Southern Theater Command Army, Navy, Air Force, the Hong Kong Garrison and the Joint Logistics Support Force lined up neatly and set to march out upon command. The two sides will deploy over 1,000 personnel in total, along with more than 500 pieces of equipment including wheeled vehicles, surface vessels, helicopters, unmanned systems, and various types of ordnance in the exercise, according to China Military Bugle.

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