The Chinese Ministry of Defence reported that on 27 May Chinese and Cambodian warships and helicopters conducted the joint exercise Golden Dragon 2024 that included weapon firings in the waters near Sihanoukville Autonomous Port. This marked the first live-fire drill jointly organised by the People’s Liberation Army-Navy (PLA-N) and the Royal Cambodian Navy.
Under the theme of “joint counter-terrorism operations and humanitarian relief,” the drill was based on a scenario where terrorists hijacked a cargo ship in a certain sea area, and focused on such subjects as joint response, formation navigation and search, and armed rescue. A total of sixteen warships from China and Cambodia participated in the drill.
As soon as the drill started on the morning, the Chinese and Cambodian naval vessels formed a joint formation and quickly sailed to the scene. The PLA-N’s amphibious dock landing ship Qilianshan served as the command ship. Upon identifying the target, ships from both sides closely coordinated and closed in on the “hijacked cargo ship” from different directions. To prevent the joint formation from approaching, the “terrorists” set fire on the foredeck of the cargo ship. The Chinese ships immediately moved toward the cargo ship and used high-pressure water cannons to extinguish the fire.
Meanwhile, over ten Cambodian commandos on assault boats approached the cargo ship and carried out an armed rescue. Then, the Chinese medical team quickly transferred the “injured crew members” from the cargo ship to a maritime medical aid station for emergency treatment and made preparations for further evacuation. Chinese and Cambodian ships were organised into mixed groups, allowing both sides to learn from each other, which further enhanced the level of command and coordination and joint emergency response capabilities.
Source: PLA-N
