In rare shift, China will send marine corps to Brazil for joint military exercise
Invitation to drill comes as China and Brazil enjoy improved relations in recent years, including Brasilia’s intent to join belt and road
A detachment of the PLA Marine Corps will travel to take part in Exercise Formosa 2024 at the invitation of the Brazilian military, the Chinese defence ministry said on Thursday.
The exercises, with a focus on joint landing and anti-landing combat drills, would “deepen friendship and cooperation between the Chinese and participating militaries and enhance their ability to jointly respond to security risk challenges”, the ministry said in a statement on its website.
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China’s defence ministry did not specify when the exercise would take place.
Exercise Formosa is an annual exercise hosted by the Brazilian Marine Corps that last year also included the United States, Germany, France and South Africa. The US Marine Corps has been a regular participant in previous drills. It is not clear which countries will take part in the exercise this year.
In recent years, China has hosted military medicine forums, senior military officer seminars and defence forums for Latin American countries, but it is not common for the Chinese military to travel to the region to take part in operations.
This year has seen an improvement in relations between China and Brazil.
