The government of Saudi Arabia revealed on Tuesday the commencement of a three-week joint exercise called “Blue Sword” involving the Saudi and Chinese navies.
The inaugural Blue Sword drill took place in 2019 near the Saudi Arabian Red Sea port city of Jeddah. This year’s exercise was launched from the southern Chinese city of Zhanjiang, marked by a ceremony attended by hundreds of troops.
“The goal of the exercise is to boost the mutual trust and friendly relations between the Chinese and the Saudi Arabian navies, enhance the participants’ capabilities in naval combat and comprehensively improve the joint operational capabilities of overseas armed rescue units,” China’s state-run Global Times said.
The joint exercise, spanning three weeks, is divided into a basic training phase, professional training, and a comprehensive drill phase encompassing over 20 training components.
These include live-fire shooting, fast roping from helicopters, cabin searches, underwater reconnaissance, sniping-on-command, and underwater explosives disarmament, as reported by the Global Times, citing press releases from the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).
Saudi Arabia Announces Joint Military Exercises with China https://t.co/ISjVzctyXc via @BreitbartNews— Elena (@helen44767171) October 12, 2023
“The joint training between the special warfare units of the two navies is of great significance to deepening the pragmatic and friendly cooperation between the two militaries and improving the actual combat training level of the troops,” the PLAN commander in charge of the exercise, said.
The core scenario of the Blue Sword drill revolves around the simulated hijacking of a commercial ship, necessitating the coordinated efforts of Chinese and Saudi naval special operations forces to rescue it.
When announced in September, the joint Saudi-Chinese exercise was seen by some as part of China’s broader efforts to expand its influence in the Middle East and enhance its credentials as a naval power, especially in anti-piracy operations.
China has previously conducted similar joint exercises with Russia and Iran, along with participating in anti-piracy escort missions in regions like the Gulf of Aden and areas near piracy-prone Somalia.
For China, piracy is a significant concern as its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) extends Chinese investments into regions with security challenges.
The Blue Sword exercise occurred concurrently with the Hamas attack on Israel, a fact acknowledged by many observers, though not publicly mentioned by the exercise participants.
Reports indicate that Saudi Arabia was close to finalizing a deal to normalize relations with Israel, but these talks were halted following the Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent retaliatory operations in Gaza.
