Blue Strike-2023: China and Thailand’s joint naval exercise

The Gulf of Thailand and the Sattahip district of Chon Buri will serve as the training grounds for the Blue Strike-2023 joint naval exercise, involving China and Thailand. Participation from Chinese warships and submarines has been confirmed for this annual drill.

The exercise, which will extend from tomorrow to September 10, will take place in the upper reaches of the Gulf of Thailand and at the Phra Maha Chetsadachao Camp of the Marine Division in Sattahip, as disclosed by a navy source. The main objectives of the Blue Strike exercise are to share naval expertise, prepare for potential humanitarian assistance and disaster relief situations, carry out naval operations, and foster military relations.

The Chinese ships docked at the training site on Thursday, ready for the upcoming Blue Strike exercises.

A welcoming ceremony took place yesterday at the Royal Thai Fleet HQ, where navy chief, Choengchai Chomchoengpaet, Chinese envoy, Han Zhiqiang, and Royal Thai Fleet commander, Adung Phan-iam greeted Chen Weidong, deputy chief of the Chinese Marine Corps. They also welcomed Peng Peng, the leader of a squad of Chinese navy trainees, and other senior Chinese officers.

A Chinese naval task force will be engaged in the Blue Strike drills, bringing with them their Changcheng submarine, Siming Shan amphibious dock landing ship, Anyang guided-missile frigate, and Chaohu comprehensive supply ship.

The Blue Strike training encompassing land and sea will focus on sniping tactics, jungle survival, and maritime search and rescue. Additionally, sessions on chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear defence will be conducted.

The ultimate goal of these Blue Strike exercises is to bolster practical cooperation between the two navies and enhance their joint capabilities to tackle regional security threats, as per the navy source.

In other news, Choengchai disclosed that he had approved the substitution of a German-made engine with the Chinese-made CHD620 engine for an S26T Yuan-class submarine currently being assembled in China by the China Shipbuilding & Offshore International Co.

Furthermore, he revealed that the navy plans to allocate up to 200 million baht to recover the sunken HTMS Sukhothai in Prachuap Khiri Khan. With 110 million baht to be set aside from its budget, the navy will seek an additional 90 million baht from the Budget Bureau to execute the mission, reports Bangkok Post.