US Troops Join Chinese Counterparts For Annual Disaster Management Exercise - Army

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th November, 2018) US soldiers have joined China People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops in the city of Nanjing for a week-long Disaster Management Exchange (DME) that ends on Sunday, the US Army said in a press release.

"The DME is an annual USARPAC [US Army Pacific] disaster risk reduction event with the PLA that began in 2005," the release said on Wednesday. "This long-established exchange underscores the commitment of both the US and the PRC [People's Republic of China] to address Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief challenges across the region.

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The US Army explained in the release that the November 13-18 exercise consists of three parts: an expert academic discussion, a table top exchange and a practical field exchange.

The exchange comes amid heightened tensions between the United States and China as the two nations fight a trade war and Washington scrambles to restore a military depleted by budget cuts and years of fighting in an effort to compete with Beijing's military modernization.