China Sends Marines To Brazil For Joint Military Exercise In Rare Move
The invitation to the exercise comes as relations between China and Brazil’s marines have improved recently, and Brasilia has expressed interest in joining the Belt and Road Initiative.
South China Sea: China and Singapore have the largest joint naval exercises ever. The report says Chinese investment in Brazil’s electric vehicle and electrification sectors is increasing.
The People’s Liberation Army will participate in a joint military exercise with Brazil, a rare move by the Chinese military in the Western Hemisphere. On Thursday, China’s Ministry of Defense said that a detachment of the People’s Liberation Army Marine Corps will travel to Brazil to participate in the “Formosa 2024” exercise at the Brazilian military’s invitation.
The exercise, which focuses on joint landing and anti-landing combat exercises, “will deepen the friendship and cooperation between the Chinese military and the participating armies and enhance the ability to jointly respond to security risks and challenges,” the Defense Ministry said on its website.
The Chinese Defense Ministry did not specify when the exercise would take place.
The Formosa exercise is an annual exercise organized by the Brazilian Marine Corps. Last year, it included the United States, Germany, France, and South Africa. The U.S. Marine Corps has been a regular participant in previous exercises. It is not clear which countries will participate in this year’s exercise.
In recent years, China has organized military medical forums, senior officers’ seminars, and Latin American defense forums. Still, it is uncommon for Chinese troops to travel to the region to participate in operations.
This year, China-Brazil Marines relations have improved.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced in July that his government plans to join China’s flagship infrastructure and investment project, the Belt and Road Initiative.
Also in July, Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun met with Brazilian Army Chief of Staff Tomás Ribeiro Paiva in Beijing.
During the meeting, Dong said the two countries’ militaries should “strengthen exchanges, learn from each other,” and “jointly improve capabilities and promote the relationship between the two militaries to a new level.”
China calls the Fujian aircraft carrier the world’s largest conventionally powered warship. From June 27 to August 1, Brazil participated in the multinational Rim of the Pacific military exercise led by the United States. China’s recent military exercises have focused on the South China Sea, which has territorial disputes with several countries.
