China invited to take part in US-led naval exercise

BEIJING: China has been invited to participate in a major US-led naval exercise, Chinese officials said Thursday, despite tensions between Beijing and Washington over activity in the disputed South China Sea.

The Chinese military took part in the RIMPAC drill, billed as the world´s largest international naval exercise, for the first time in 2014 and again in 2016. "We have received the American invitation," Chinese defence ministry spokesman Wu Qian told reporters. A Chinese delegation has been sent to the US to discuss logistics, he added. RIMPAC, which stands for Rim of the Pacific Exercise, is held off Hawaii every other year. The invitation comes as tensions remain high between the two world powers over Beijing´s territorial claims in the South China Sea.