ASSOCIATED PRESS IN TACOMA, WASHINGTON
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 17 November, 2015, 1:39pm
UPDATED : Tuesday, 17 November, 2015, 1:39pm
US Navy sailors participate in a medical training exercise on the deck of the guided missile destroyer USS Lassen in the South China Sea on October 28. Photo: Reuters
Three weeks after a US Navy warship sailed by an artificial Chinese island in the contested waters of the South China Sea, the US Department of Defence is reaching out with a friendlier gesture.
The Pentagon picked the Army's Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state as the site of a week-long exercise for both US soldiers and troops from the People's Liberation Army, The News Tribunenewspaper in Tacoma reports.
It will be the first time ground-level Chinese soldiers have visited an Army base in the continental US for a military-to-military exercise, although they will not participate in combat training.
“It's a big deal,” said Timothy Heath, a China expert at the Rand Corp. “It's a sign of an improving security relationship that needs more stability. This is a good sign. We need exercises like this to promote stability.”
About 80 Chinese soldiers are expected to visit the South Sound base for a series of medical drills to help them prepare for a humanitarian crisis. Starting Monday through to November 21, the troops will practise preparations for natural disasters.
“Despite our differences with China, we can still work together and come together to work on common challenges, such as natural disasters and humanitarian crises,” said Lieutenant Colonel Jason Shelton.
Shelton, who is co-ordinating the exercises, says troops will focus on how to help civilians in a severe earthquake, a natural disaster both the Pacific Northwest and China could face.
The exercises come as Washington’s Puget Sound area is increasing connections with China. President Xi Jinping visited the region in September and Chinese investors have proposed a hotel next to Tacoma's convention center.
China is also Washington state's largest export market.
http://m.scmp.com/news/world/article/1879740/seeking-smoother-waters-chinese-troops-visit-us-army-base-medical-drills
