MKsportspictured during an anti-terrorism and anti-pirate training session of Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy hospital ship Peace Ark before it sets sail for the Mission Harmony-2024, on June 2, 2024. (Photo: Xinhua)" src="https://www.globaltimes.cn/Portals/0/attachment/2024/2024-06-17/4a391c4b-0459-40c1-8e86-7323d6ddfee5.jpeg" />

A helicopter is pictured during an anti-terrorism and anti-pirate training session of Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy hospital ship "Peace Ark" before it sets sail for the Mission Harmony-2024, on June 2, 2024. (Photo: Xinhua)

Military diplomacy is an important bridge for maintaining world peace and promoting international security cooperation. In 2024, as the global landscape continued to evolve, the Chinese military engaged in diverse military exchanges and cooperation with various countries, including military visits, joint exercises and joint patrols. 

Over the past year, joint drills by Chinese and foreign militaries have become normalized, institutionalized, and standardized, and their number also reached a new high, as China's military diplomacy has played key roles in boosting bilateral and multilateral military ties, tackling global security challenges, defending national interests and security, as well as promoting global peace and stability, Zhang Junshe, a Chinese military expert, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

One of the biggest highlights of China's military diplomacy in 2024 is its interactions with major powers such as Russia and the US.

Over the past year, China and Russia saw frequent visits by senior military officials, joint exercises and joint patrols. In early to mid-July, the two countries held Joint Sea-2024 joint drill in waters and airspace near Zhanjiang, South China's Guangdong Province, and they also conducted two joint strategic air patrols in late July and late November. These were routine annual joint exercises, but there were also new elements.

For example, the China-Russia joint strategic air patrol over the Bering Sea on July 25 marked the first time the PLA Air Force's warplanes carried out a patrol mission in the airspace over the Bering Sea, as the mission saw long flight time and distance in unfamiliar environments.

In addition, China and Russia's coast guards also conducted joint drills and patrol. It was the first China-Russia joint coast guard patrol, and also the first time a China Coast Guard flotilla entered the Arctic Ocean.

Zhuo Hua, an international affairs expert at the School of International Relations and Diplomacy at Beijing Foreign Studies University, said China and Russia's high-level military cooperation was further expanded and deepened in 2024, as the two militaries boosted the frequency of joint drills, patrols and visits, and expanded the scope of operation. "This displayed a high level of political, strategic and military mutual trust. It played a significant and positive role to the healthy development of bilateral ties, deterring and countering military coercions by some other major powers, adapting to the current security situation and needs, as well as safeguarding peace and stability in the region," he told the Global Times.

By comparison, the China-US ties still saw twists and turns, but the two countries' militaries maintained communication. 

During the San Francisco meeting in November 2023, the Chinese and US top leaders agreed to resume, on the basis of equality and respect, high-level communication between the two militaries, the China-US Defense Policy Coordination Talks, and the China-US Military Maritime Consultative Agreement meetings, and to conduct telephone conversations between theater commanders. 

These four mechanisms were all resumed in 2024, which displayed the Chinese and US militaries' common willingness to maintain exchanges and cooperation despite challenges, said Zhang.

However, twists and turns did still exist. No meeting was held between the Chinese and US defense ministers during the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus on November 21, and the Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian said at the time that the responsibility lies entirely with the US side.

The US cannot undermine China's core interests on the Taiwan question while engaging in exchanges with the Chinese military as if nothing has happened. The US should immediately correct its mistakes, respect China's core interests, and work to create favorable conditions for high-level military exchanges between the two countries, Wu said at that time.

Equality and respect are the basis for military-to-military relations, and ignoring or even stamping on the other's key concerns and core interests is bound to lead to a deadlock or even regression on military ties, Zhuo said.

Exercises for peace

According to publicly available reports published on the website of China's Ministry of National Defense, there has been more than 20 joint exercises and trainings between Chinese and foreign militaries so far this year. Zhang noted that this number has set a new record annually since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Chinese military's joint drills were held throughout the year, and they featured forces from different theater commands and different services of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). Many of the joint drills focused on non-traditional security fields such as anti-terrorism, anti-piracy, humanitarian aid and disaster relief.

Non-traditional security training courses accounted for a significant proportion in the joint drills, and this demonstrates China's responsibility and commitment as a responsible major power. Through these collaborations, China has made its due contributions to jointly addressing security challenges, maintaining world peace and stability, and promoting the building of a human community with a shared future, Zhang said.

Among the over 20 joint exercises, the participating foreign militaries mainly came from neighboring countries, such as Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos, and many of the codenames for the drills focused on words such as peace, cooperation, friendship and partnership.

Joint drills with neighboring countries, especially ASEAN member states, have been a key focus of the Chinese military diplomacy, as the close interdependence, deep mutual trust as well as peace and stability with neighboring countries serve as a first external security safeguard for China's peaceful development, Zhuo said.

Joint drills with neighboring countries can quickly enhance mutual understandings and significantly boost strategic mutual trust. Facing the real security situation and security demands, such joint drills are a kind of adaptive military operation that can pragmatically boost collaborative capability, so that China and these countries can jointly deal with real security threats on skill and tactical levels, Zhuo said.

There were also new breakthroughs in terms of joint exercises in 2024, as the Chinese military conducted Peace Unity-2024 joint exercise with militaries of Tanzania and Mozambique from late July to mid-August. It was the first joint exercise with African countries featuring both the army and navy.

With these joint exercises, China has demonstrated its mature global power projection capabilities and new weapons and equipment that can adapt to modern battlefield environments, showing that China is now capable of contributing more to global peacekeeping efforts, Zhuo said.