China's Ministry of National Defense announced on Friday (5th) that the "Southern Theater" of the People's Liberation Army will send troops to hold joint military exercises with Laos this month.

This picture shows the "Peace Mission-2016" exercise of the Chinese People's Liberation Army in 2016.

(European News Agency)

[Instant News/Comprehensive Report] Foreign media reported that in order to counter the gradually expanding influence of the United States in Southeast Asia, China announced on Friday (5th) that the People's Liberation Army will hold a joint military exercise with Laos this month.

Reuters reported that China's Ministry of National Defense issued a statement on the 5th that the "Southern Theater", one of the five theaters of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, will send troops to Laos to participate in the "Friendship Shield-2023" joint exercise.

According to a report by China National Television, the exercise will be held from the 9th to the 28th, simulating a strike against transnational armed criminal groups. During the exercise, there will be more than 900 people, including more than 200 people from the People's Liberation Army.

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The report mentioned that this military exercise is a step up from the "Peace Train" humanitarian and medical rescue exercise held by the two armies in Laos last year.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said during the visit of Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith to Beijing last November that it is necessary to ensure that the two countries work "to build a common future between China and Laos".

In order to strengthen military relations with its allies in Southeast Asia, China has taken frequent actions in Southeast Asia recently.

The report pointed out that China and Cambodia held a joint naval exercise in Cambodian waters for the first time in mid-March.

In addition, according to the Ministry of National Defense of Singapore on the 5th, the military exercise between China and Singapore in the international waters of the southern South China Sea in late April ended earlier today.

In addition to China, the United States also conducts many exercises in the region, such as the annual military exercise held in Indonesia and Thailand, and last month also held the largest annual exercise in history with the Philippines, involving more than 17,000 personnel. This large military exercise.