Singapore and China plan military drills as Beijing forges defence ties

SINGAPORE/BEIJING, April 24 (Reuters): China and Singapore will hold a joint military exercise as soon as this week, their first combined drills since 2021, as Beijing deepens its defence and security ties with South-East Asia, a region with strong existing US alliances.

The Chinese navy will deploy a missile-bearing frigate, the Yulin, and a mine-hunting ship, the Chibi, to the joint maritime exercise which will last from late April to early May, the Chinese defence ministry said in a statement on its website on Monday, without specifying the location.