Security Studies Program
IINA: Have China’s Mine Countermeasures Capabilities Eclipsed Those of Japan and the United States?
Among the vessels participating in Exercise Maritime Cooperation, the April 2023 joint drill between the Chinese and Singaporean militaries off the coast of Singapore, were the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)’s mine-hunting ship (MHS) Chibi and guided-missile frigate Yulin. Maritime security experts generally saw the joint exercise, conducted since 2021, as promoting mutual understanding and friendship between the two countries’ navies.
By Yasuhiro Kawakami, Director and Senior Research Fellow, Security Studies Program, Sasakawa Peace Foundation