RIYADH: The Royal Saudi Navy and China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy launched a joint military exercise this week in Zhanjiang, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.

Code-named Blue Sword 3, the three-week exercise aims to build mutual trust, enhance cooperation between the two navies and exchange experiences in combating maritime terrorism and piracy, SPA added.

The exercise will focus on “overseas maritime counter-terrorism operations,” including sniping, boat driving, helicopter landing and joint rescues, China’s Ministry of National Defense said in a statement.

This is the second time that China and Saudi Arabia have held joint naval drills.

In 2019, the two navies held a drill at the King Faisal Naval Base in Jeddah.