China and Cambodia will hold their seventh “Golden Dragon” joint military exercise starting on Wednesday, and this year’s drills are expected to feature more troops and advanced equipment than previous exercises.
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The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theatre Command announced on Thursday that a departure ceremony had been held at a military port in Zhanjiang in Guangdong province.
State broadcaster CCTV showed footage of troops from the army, navy, air force, and logistics support units assembled on the flight deck of the Changbai Shan, a Type 071 amphibious landing ship, as they prepared for deployment.
It also showed multiple heavy vehicle-mounted artillery, mortars, wheeled combat vehicles and tracked armoured vehicles from the PLA Ground Force boarding the Cambodia-bound ship.
The Royal Cambodian Air Force (RCAF) announced on Tuesday that the two-week Golden Dragon 2025 exercise would take place from May 14 to 28 and focus on joint counterterrorism operations and humanitarian relief.
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RCAF spokesman Major General Thong Solimo highlighted the complexity of this year’s exercise compared to previous editions, noting it would exceed past drills in terms of “scope, troop participation, and the use of advanced equipment”. He said this reflected the deepening military cooperation between the two nations.