China participates in Australia’s largest maritime drill

SYDNEY: China is participating for the first time in Australia´s largest maritime exercise as more than 3,000 personnel from 27 countries engage in joint training off the strategic northern port of Darwin.

Exercise Kakadu is hosting 23 ships and submarines from across the Indo-Pacific region, enabling them to establish familiarity which helps to prevent conflict on the high seas and to coordinate disaster relief efforts.

Commander Anita Sellick of the Australian frigate HMAS Newcastle said two Royal Australian Navy sailors were accepted onto China´s naval frigate Huangshan during the drill.

"Two of our Australian navy sailors are across actually, right now in the Chinese ship.

So they've both been able to integrate within each other's navy and learn a little bit of what life is like for them today in Exercise Kakadu," Sellick told Reuters on Saturday.

The participating countries in Exercise Kakadu are: China, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Cook Islands, Fiji, France, India, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, The Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, East Timor, Tonga, United Arab Emirates, US, Australia, and Vietnam.