RIMPAC 2016

vincent

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World | Thu Feb 25, 2016 7:47am EST

China on Thursday confirmed it would send warships to join a major U.S.-hosted naval drill this summer, even as tension between the world's two largest economies mounts over the South China Sea.

The Rim of the Pacific exercise, known as RIMPAC, is billed as the world's largest international maritime exercise, held every two years in Hawaii in June and July.

Critics of the Obama administration, including U.S. Senator John McCain, have said the U.S. should bar China from the drills to show U.S. disapproval of its military actions.

The U.S. and its allies have expressed growing concern over the Asian giant's military buildup, as well as its increasingly assertive posture in the South China Sea.

"Joining these military exercises will be beneficial to improving the Chinese navy's ability to contend with non-traditional security threats," Wu Qian, a spokesman of China's Ministry of Defense, told a regular briefing.

"At the same time, it will also be beneficial to depending China and professional exchanges and pragmatic cooperations with the relevant countries' navies."

China would send warships to participate, Wu said, but did not say how many or what kind.

"Needless to say, military relations between China and the U.S. have some difficulties and obstacles," Wu added.

He cited the examples of U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and reconnaissance by U.S. warships near Chinese territory, as well as what China sees as discriminatory laws by the U.S. limiting military exchanges.

Wu also criticized U.S. patrols in the South China Sea.

U.S. Admiral Harry Harris, chief of the U.S. Pacific Command, has said he wants to build ties between the two militaries of the countries, but has also strongly criticized China's actions in the South China Sea.

Past participants in RIMPAC have included nations such as Russia that are not treaty allies with the United States.

China took part in the RIMPAC exercises in 2014 with more than 20 countries, but defense officials have said its participation was limited to areas such as humanitarian relief and search and rescue operations.

(Reporting by Megha Rajagopalan and Ben Blanchard; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
 

vincent

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Mar 24, 2016 | by Richard Sisk


The U.S. was has been "reassessing" the invitation for Chinese warships to participate in the RIMPAC 2016 naval exercises off Hawaii this summer in light of China's aggressive actions in the South China Sea, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said.

The biannual RIMPAC, or Rim of the Pacific, is an international training exercise hosted by the U.S. and set to take place in June and July.

China's invitation was likely to be the topic of discussions next week on the sidelines of the 2016 Nuclear Security Summit on cooperation against nuclear proliferation and the smuggling of materials for dirty bombs that will be attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

China's Foreign Ministry confirmed Wednesday that Xi will join representatives of 40 other countries at the three-day summit beginning March 31, China's Xinhua news agency said. The summit will take place as the U.S is pressing China to rein in the nuclear ambitions of North Korea, which recently
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to fit atop an intercontinental ballistic missile.

In testimony to the House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, Carter said, "We are constantly reassessing" China's invitation to RIMPAC. In 2014, China for the
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involving 23 counties, about 50 ships, six submarines and more than 25,000 troops.

The Chinese currently "have an invitation for RIMPAC and we will continue to review that," Carter said. "Our strategy in the Asia-Pacific is not to exclude anyone, but to keep the security architecture going there, in which everyone participates.

"China is, however, self-isolating" through its actions in building artificial islands for military airfields in the South China Sea that have raised concerns among regional allies, and "that's why all these partners are coming to us," Carter said.

The secretary was responding to questions from Rep. Mark Takai, a Hawaii Democrat, who urged Carter to disinvite China from RIMPAC, the world's largest naval exercise.

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officials recently pointed to Chinese military action in the South China Sea at Scarborough Shoal, which lies within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines, a U.S. security treaty ally.

"Should we reward China for this aggressive behavior by including them in an event meant for allies and partners?" Takai asked during the hearing. "China's behavior is the polar opposite of U.S. objectives in the region" and the Chinese should be excluded from RIMPAC, the lawmaker said.

Carter responded, "We're constantly evaluating our relationship with China and China's behavior, including the South China Sea, where I emphasize we have very serious concerns about their aggressive militarization there."

In confirming last month that China would attend RIMPAC, Wu Qian, a spokesman for China's defense ministry, said, "Joining these military exercises will be beneficial to improving the Chinese navy's ability to contend with non-traditional security threats."

However, Wu added, "Needless to say, military relations between China and the U.S. have some difficulties and obstacles."

The drumbeat in China's official media has been that the so-called U.S. "Pacific pivot" -- the rebalance of U.S. forces to the Asia-Pacific region -- is designed to deny China's rightful status as a world power.

Carter again rejected the charge Wednesday in an address to the Corps of Cadets at the
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.

"China is rising, which is fine, but China is behaving aggressively, which is not," he said. The Asia-Pacific was "the most consequential region for America's future," and it "has generally been an area of peace and stability," primarily because of the U.S. presence. "That's what we aim to keep going. It's not about keeping China down," he said.

Last May, Sens. John McCain, an Arizona Republican and the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Sen. Jack Reed, a Rhode Island Democrat and the ranking Democrat on the panel, sent a letter to Carter recommending that China be disinvited from RIMPAC 2016 because of China's "bad behavior."

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at [email protected].
 

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PEARL HARBOR (June 29, 2016) Chinese People's Liberation Army (Navy) frigate Hengshui (FFG 572) arrives at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam for Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2016. Twenty-six nations, more than 40 ships and submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC from June 30 to Aug. 4, in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain the cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC 2016 is the 25th exercise in the series that began in 1971. (U.S. Navy Photo By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Somers Steelman/Released

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PEARL HARBOR (June 29, 2016) The Chinese People's Liberation Army (Navy) (PLA(N) Luang II class guided-missile destroyer Xian (153) arrives at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam for Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2016.(U.S. Navy Photo By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Somers Steelman/Released

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(U.S. Navy Photo By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Somers Steelman/Released)
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(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Katarzyna Kobiljak/Released)
PEARL HARBOR (June 29, 2016) The Chinese People's Liberation Army (Navy) hospital ship Peace Ark (T-AH 866) arrives at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam for Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2016.(US Navy photos released for public use.)
 

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PEARL HARBOR (June 29, 2016) The aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) arrives at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam for Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2016. John C. Stennis is currently on a Western Pacific deployment and is expected to play a major role in RIMPAC. (U.S. Navy Photo By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jeff Troutman/Released

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PEARL HARBOR (June 28, 2016) The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force helicopter destroyer JS Hyuga (DDH 181) arrives at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam for Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2016. Twenty-six nations, more than 40 ships and submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC from June 30 to Aug. 4, in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain the cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC 2016 is the 25th exercise in the series that began in 1971. (U.S. Navy Photo By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Phillip Pavlovich/Released)

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PEARL HARBOR (June 29, 2016) The Royal Canadian Navy frigate MHCS Calgary (FFH 335) arrives at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam for Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2016. (U.S. Navy Photo By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Somers Steelman/Released

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PEARL HARBOR (June 28, 2016) The French navy Floreal-class frigate FS Prairial (F 731) arrives at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam for Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2016.(U.S. Navy Photo By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Phillip Pavlovich/Released)

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PEARL HARBOR (June 28, 2016) The Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Ballarat (FFH 155) arrives at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam for Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2016. (U.S. Navy Photo By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Phillip Pavlovich/Released)
 

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PEARL HARBOR (June 27, 2016) The Royal Australian Navy Anzac-class frigate HMAS Ballarat (FFH 155) and Royal Australian Navy Anzac-class frigate HMAS Warramunga (FFH 152) float beside each other at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam for Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2016. (U.S. Navy photos by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Daniel Hinton/Released)

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PEARL HARBOR (June 27, 2016) The Royal Australian Navy Anzac-class frigates HMAS Ballarat (FFH 155) and HMAS Warramunga (FFH 152) are moored beside each other at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam for Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2016. Twenty-six nations, more than 40 ships and submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC from June 30 to Aug. 4, in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain the cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC 2016 is the 25th exercise in the series that began in 1971. (U.S. Navy photos by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Daniel Hinton/Released)
 

bd popeye

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I remember back in 2013 holding a hope that PLAN CV Liaoining would take part in RIMPAC 2014....disappointing.

I posted this;

Great news for the PLAN.. will we see the Liaoning at RIMPAC 2014? I hope so.

NOT!!!:confused:

..and this was posted by asif iqbal..

Next RIMPAC PLAN should send a carrier strike group

...nor in 2016

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PEARL HARBOR (June 28, 2016) The Chilean navy frigate CNS Almirante Cochrane (FF 05) arrives at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam for Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2016. Twenty-six nations, more than 40 ships and submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC from June 30 to Aug. 4, in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain the cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC 2016 is the 25th exercise in the series that began in 1971. (U.S. Navy Photo By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Phillip Pavlovich/Released)

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PEARL HARBOR (June 28, 2016) The Indonesian navy ship KRI Diponegoro (365) arrives at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam for Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2016. (U.S. Navy Photo By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Phillip Pavlovich/Released)

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PEARL HARBOR (June 28, 2016) The Royal New Zealand Navy frigate HMNZS Te Kaha (FFH 155) arrives at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam for Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2016. (U.S. Navy Photo By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Phillip Pavlovich/Released)
 
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SAN DIEGO (June 22, 2016) The littoral combat ship USS Coronado (LCS 4) departs San Diego on an independent deployment to the Western Pacific and to participate in Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2016. Twenty-six nations, more than 40 ships and submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC from June 30 to Aug. 4, in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain the cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC 2016 is the 25th exercise in the series that began in 1971. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Zachary Bell/Released)

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PEARL HARBOR (June 28, 2016) Fire Controlman 2nd Class Michael Klimek mans the rail aboard the guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay (CG 53) as the ship prepares to moor at Joint Naval Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam to participate in Rim of the Pacific 2016. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ryan J. Batchelder/Released)
 
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