On June 27th, the United States and 28 partner countries began the world’s largest naval exercise near Hawaii, known as the “Rim of the Pacific Exercise” (RIMPAC). Officials say that the biennial “RIMPAC” exercise will send a strong message to the Chinese Communist Party, urging Beijing to stop bullying its neighbors.
This year’s “RIMPAC” exercise, as reported by Voice of America, has seen unprecedented international cooperation, with a total of forty surface ships, over 150 aircraft, three submarines, and 25,000 personnel participating.
Vice Commander of the “RIMPAC” exercise, Rear Admiral Alberto Guerrero of the Chilean Navy, stated, “We welcome every country in the Pacific with interests and shared values to participate.”
While most participating countries have coastlines along the Pacific, non-Pacific countries like the United Kingdom, France, Brazil, and Israel have also joined this year’s “RIMPAC” exercise. However, China was not invited.
Markus Garlauskas, Director of the Indo-Pacific Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council, emphasized that these countries share common interests in deterring and countering the threat posed by Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific, which threatens freedom and openness in the region.
Garlauskas mentioned that China was invited to the “RIMPAC” exercises in 2014 and 2016, but ended up exploiting the opportunity for intelligence gathering. He noted that since then, China has militarized more artificial islands in international waters.
In recent months, China has been conducting aggressive exercises near Taiwan and has recently used water cannons to attack Filipino vessels.
Officials emphasize that the biennial “RIMPAC” exercise sends a strong message to China, urging Beijing to stop bullying its neighbors.
This year’s participants include Israel, which has sparked protests from pro-Palestinian activists who hoped countries would not participate in the exercise. The Malaysian Prime Minister addressed protesters before the exercise, stating that Malaysia will continue to speak up for the Palestinian people but must act in a manner not driven by anger and consider the practical implications of not participating in a large military exercise.
The “RIMPAC” exercise is scheduled to conclude in early August.