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Ministry of Defence
News Releases

The Republic of Singapore Navy and People’s Liberation Army (Navy) Commence Bilateral Maritime Exercise

5 September 2026

The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) is in Zhanjiang, China from 5 to 9 September 2026 to participate in bilateral Exercise Maritime Cooperation (XMC) with the People’s Liberation Army (Navy) [PLA Navy].

Deputy Fleet Commander of the Republic of Singapore Navy, Colonel (COL) Ng Yen Meng (front row, third from left) and People's Liberation Army (Navy) Deputy Chief of Staff of Southern Theatre Command Navy, Rear Admiral Xia Ziming (front row, third from right) co-officiated the Opening Ceremony of Exercise Maritime Cooperation (XMC) 2026.
Deputy Fleet Commander of the Republic of Singapore Navy, Colonel (COL) Ng Yen Meng (front row, third from left) and People's Liberation Army (Navy) Deputy Chief of Staff of Southern Theatre Command Navy, Rear Admiral Xia Ziming (front row, third from right) co-officiated the Opening Ceremony of Exercise Maritime Cooperation (XMC) 2026.

The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) is in Zhanjiang, China from 5 to 9 September 2026 to participate in bilateral Exercise Maritime Cooperation (XMC) with the People’s Liberation Army (Navy) [PLA Navy]. RSN’s Deputy Fleet Commander Colonel Ng Yen Meng and PLA (Navy)’s Southern Theater Command Navy Deputy Chief of Staff Rear Admiral Xia Ziming co-officiated the opening ceremony of XMC 2026 at Ma Xie Naval Base in Zhanjiang earlier today.

XMC 2026 is the fifth edition of the exercise, which has been conducted since 2015, and will see the participation of RSN’s Formidable-class frigate RSS Steadfast and PLA (Navy)’s Jiangkai II-class frigate PLANS Dali. The exercise will comprise a shore phase at Ma Xie Naval Base from 5 to 7 September 2026, and a sea phase in waters off Zhanjiang from 8 to 9 September 2026. During the shore phase, personnel from both navies will engage in planning exercises and professional exchanges. At sea, both navies will have an exchange of sea riders and conduct a range of serials. These include gunnery firings, communications and manoeuvring exercises, as well as joint search and rescue and medical evacuation drills.

RSS Steadfast is on the final leg of its three-month deployment, during which it has participated in several bilateral and multilateral exercises. These include a passage exercise with the Italian Navy, multinational group sails from the Philippines to Hawaii, Exercise Rim of the Pacific, Exercise SINGAPAN with Japan, and XMC 2026 with the People’s Republic of China. The RSN’s participation in these exercises enhances mutual learning, understanding and cooperation with a wide network of international partners.