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China holds multi-country maritime exercises
Multi-country maritime exercises were held off the coast of the eastern Chinese city of Qingdao on April 23.

Naval conference starts in China's Qingdao City
China will host the Western Pacific Naval Symposium for the first time on April 22, in the eastern city of Qingdao. It's the 14th time the bi-annual event has been held to discuss maritime affairs in the western Pacific region as well as efforts towards greater naval cooperation.

Japan Maritime Self Defence Force not invited to WPNS
The multinational vessels attending the western pacific naval symposium are set to participate in a joint drill on April 23, to celebrate the 65th anniversary of China’s navy. However, the Japanese maritime self defense force was not invited to the drill. PLA navy spokesman Liang Yang explains.

No one-to-one China-Japan navy meetings planned at WPNS: PLA officer
No one-to-one meetings between top navy officers of China and Japan are officially scheduled for the upcoming West Pacific Navy Symposium (WPNS), a People's Liberation Army (PLA) spokesman said.

China cancels fleet review for Western Pacific Naval Symposium
Brunei naval ship departs for Qingdao to join drills
First foreign warship arrives in China for joint exercise

The 14th WPNS

Location: Qingdao, Shandong Province

Duration: April 22-23, 2014

To discuss:
Maritime affairs in the western Pacific region;
Efforts towards greater naval cooperation

Participants: Navy leaders from 25 countries
- 21 member states: China (host), Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, France, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Tonga, Thailand, Singapore, the United States, Vietnam
- 3 observer states: Bangladesh, India, Mexico
- 1 applying for becoming an observer: Pakistan

The WPNS  
Established in 1987, the West Pacific Navy Symposium (WPNS) is a cooperation forum for the navies of Western Pacific countries to discuss maritime affairs in the region and the possibility of cooperation among its members.  

More reports:
Regional naval code inked
Regional naval symposium opens in China
Pakistan given observer status in regional naval symposium

The Joint Drill

  "Sea Cooperation-2014"

Time: April 23, 2014

Countries invited: both participating and not-participating countries from the symposium. 

Countries to participate in drill: China, Pakistan, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Brunei, India

The navy drill is 
- To celebrate the founding day of the PLA navy
- Not under the framework of the WPNS

 Japan Not invited 

- Japanese maritime self defense force was not invited to the drill.  
- No one-to-one meetings between top navy officers of China and Japan are officially scheduled for the upcoming West Pacific Navy Symposium (WPNS).

Liang Yang, PLA navy spokesman 
"In view of the wrong words and deeds by the Japanese leaders ... which have substantially hurt the feelings of the Chinese people and undermined bilateral ties, aside from arranged, necessary meetings at the symposium, no one-on-one meeting between Admiral Wu Shengli and [Japanese] Marine Self Defense Forces (MSDF) officials has been planned during this year's WPNS." 

 Warships

China	Intl
Mainly North China Sea Fleet: • Guided missile destroyer Harbin •  Frigate Yantai • Frigate Linyi • Frigate Huludao • Supply vessel Hongzehu • Hospital ship Peace Ark	• Indonesia navy landing ship KRI Banjarmasin (592)  • Brunei patrol vessel KBD Darulaman (07)  • Singapore navy frigate RSS Formidable (68)  • Malaysia navy ship KD Kasturi (F25)  • Pakistan navy ship PNS Shamsheer (252)  • Bangladesh navy missile frigate BNS Abu Bakr (F15)

Gallery

China navy ship  Yantai	Pakistan navy ship  Shamsheer	Malaysia navy ship Kasturi	Bangladesh navy ship Abu Bakr
Brunei navy ship  Darulaman	Indonesia's navy ship  Banjarmasin	Singapore navy ship Formidable	India navy ship Shivalik

Photos: Global Times-Xinhua 

More
Naval ships arrive in Qingdao for military drills
International Naval Ships Arrive in E. China
Multinational drill to be held in Qingdao

Celebrating Events

 Activities to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the PLA navy:

- The WPNS
- A multinational warship maritime exercise
- An international fleet review (canceled on April 15 because of the special situation and atmosphere surrounding the continuing search for the missing Malaysian airliner MH370)

Related Coverage

Peace mission 2012
Rim of the Pacific exercise 2012
Russia-China joint naval exercise
Chinese navy holds live-fire drill in E.China Sea


Web editor: pangqi@globaltimes.com.cn