In mid-to-late October 2025, the “Peace and Friendship-2025” joint exercise will be held in Malaysia and its nearby waters, the Chinese Defense Ministry announced in a statement on Wednesday. A Chinese military affairs expert said that the two countries share common needs in combating natural disasters and piracy, and that the joint drill contributes to maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea.
The Chinese participating forces on Wednesday have set out from military ports in Zhanjiang, Sanya, and Hong Kong, heading for Malaysia via sea transport, China Military Bugle, an official media account affiliated with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) News Media Center, reported on Wednesday.
More than 700 troops from the PLA Southern Theater Command Army, Navy, Air Force, the Hong Kong Garrison and the Joint Logistics Support Force lined up neatly and set to march out upon command. The two sides will deploy over 1,000 personnel in total, along with more than 500 pieces of equipment including wheeled vehicles, surface vessels, helicopters, unmanned systems, and various types of ordnance in the exercise, according to China Military Bugle.
According to China Central Television, the Type 052D destroyer Yinchuan, the Type 071 amphibious landing ship Jinggangshan and the Type 056A corvette Jingmen are participating in the joint exercise.
The joint exercise, scheduled to be held from October 15 to 23, will also feature cultural and sports exchanges, as well as ship open-day activities, China Military Bugle reported.
Focused on the themes of “humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, and maritime security,” the exercise will involve multi-service forces from the Chinese and Malaysian militaries conducting joint live-action drills. Other ASEAN member states have been invited to send observers, according to the Chinese Defense Ministry.
Zhang Junshe, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times on Wednesday that China and Malaysia face common maritime security threats, creating a need of pragmatic cooperation.
The South China Sea frequently experiences complex climate and sea conditions, with natural disasters such as typhoons often occurring. This necessitates humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts. Another issue is piracy. These non-traditional security threats are faced by many countries and require joint efforts to address, Zhang said.
The upcoming event marks the sixth iteration of this series of joint exercise, aiming to deepen practical cooperation between the Chinese and Southeast Asian militaries, enhance their capability to jointly address non-traditional security threats, and maintain regional peace and stability, the Chinese Defense Ministry said.
According to publicly available information, the first “Peace and Friendship” joint exercise was held in 2014, when Chinese and Malaysian militaries held their first tabletop game in Malysia. The second edition of the Peace and Friendship joint exercise was held in 2015, which marked the two militaries’ first live-action joint drill. The third, fourth and fifth editions of the joint exercise were held in 2016, 2018 and 2023 respectively, with more countries participating.
Zhang noted that the regularly held joint exercise series not only boosts capabilities, deepens traditional friendship and enhances mutual trust between China and Malaysia, but also serves the interests of other countries in the region by contributing to peace and stability in the South China Sea, Zhang noted.
China has also conducted joint exercises with other Southeast Asian countries this year, such as the China-Singapore “Exercise Cooperation-2025” joint maritime exercise in May in Singapore, China-Cambodia “Golden Dragon-2025” joint exercise in May in Cambodia, and China-Thailand “Falcon Strike-2025” joint air force training in September in Thailand, according to previous announcements by the Chinese Defense Ministry.
At a time when certain country has been rallying external forces to stir up troubles and undermine peace and stability in the South China Sea, pragmatic military cooperation between Chinese and other Southeast Asian countries is conducive to peace and stability in the region, Zhang said. He noted that, unlike so-called joint patrols rallied by some countries that have an obvious target, China’s joint exercises are not aimed at any country, but are intended to safeguard the common interests of all countries in the region.
