(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — The Malaysian Armed Forces (Angkatan Tentera Malaysia, ATM) and China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) are set to commence their large-scale joint military exercise, ‘Aman Youyi 2025’, from October 15 to October 23, encompassing areas around Klang, Subang, and Puchong in Selangor, as well as the waters of the Straits of Malacca.

The announcement by the Malaysian Joint Forces Headquarters (JFHQ) on Monday underscored the strategic intent behind the biennial drill — to enhance interoperability, strengthen bilateral military relations, and boost the readiness of both nations to execute humanitarian and maritime security operations in the region.

“The public, especially residents around the exercise areas, are advised not to be alarmed by the presence of foreign military personnel, the movement of military vehicles or convoys, and any military-related activities taking place from today until the conclusion of the exercise,” the JFHQ statement said.

This year’s iteration marks one of the most comprehensive bilateral defence engagements between Malaysia and China, signaling deepening security cooperation at a time when the South China Sea remains a flashpoint of regional tension.

The Aman Youyi 2025 exercise — translated as “Peace and Friendship 2025” — serves not only as a platform for operational training but also as a vital diplomatic signal of growing confidence and trust between Kuala Lumpur and Beijing.

While officially framed around humanitarian assistance, disaster relief (HADR), and maritime security, the exercise’s scope reveals a deeper layer of strategic and doctrinal engagement between the two militaries.

It takes place in the Straits of Malacca, one of the most critical maritime choke points in the world, through which nearly 40 percent of global trade and 80 percent of China’s imported energy supplies transit.

For China, participation in exercises near this sea lane is both pragmatic and symbolic — enhancing operational familiarity with vital maritime routes while reinforcing its security presence in Southeast Asia.

For Malaysia, the drill is an opportunity to strengthen defence diplomacy while maintaining strategic balance between major powers such as the United States, Japan, Australia, and India, all of which have increased military activity in regional waters.

PLA’s Force Projection and Naval Deployment

The PLA’s Southern Theatre Command — responsible for operations in the South China Sea — has mobilised a formidable multi-branch task force for Aman Youyi 2025.

Chinese naval vessels departed from Zhanjiang, Sanya, and Hong Kong, projecting maritime readiness and command integration across geographically dispersed fleets.

More than 700 PLA personnel from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Hong Kong Garrison, and Joint Logistics Support Force have embarked for Malaysia, with the combined total — including Malaysian forces — expected to exceed 1,000 personnel.

The exercise will also see the deployment of over 500 pieces of equipment, including armoured vehicles, surface combatants, helicopters, unmanned systems, and multiple classes of ordnance and support platforms.

China’s naval contingent reportedly includes a Type 052D guided-missile destroyer (Yinchuan), a Type 071 amphibious landing ship (Jinggangshan), and a Type 056A corvette (Jingmen).

The inclusion of these specific platforms is particularly noteworthy.

The Type 052D destroyer, with its advanced Aegis-like radar and long-range surface-to-air missiles, provides robust air defence and area-denial capability.

The Type 071 amphibious transport dock enhances lift for amphibious and humanitarian operations, capable of carrying marines, hovercraft, and helicopters.

Meanwhile, the Type 056A corvette — optimized for littoral warfare and anti-submarine patrols — underscores the exercise’s focus on coastal and near-shore operations.

This combination of assets allows the PLA to demonstrate a complete maritime task force spectrum, from blue-water to brown-water capabilities, integrating surface, air, and amphibious elements.

Operational Objectives and Exercise Design

The 2025 exercise will centre around three major operational pillars: Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), Maritime Security, and Joint Operations Command Integration.

These domains reflect the increasing importance of non-traditional security challenges such as piracy, maritime accidents, and natural disasters across Southeast Asian waters.

The exercise will incorporate joint live-action scenarios, amphibious coordination, search and rescue missions, maritime interdiction operations, and cross-service command simulations.

There will also be cultural exchanges, military sports events, and open-ship visits — all designed to strengthen people-to-people and institutional linkages between both armed forces.

While humanitarian themes dominate the narrative, analysts note that such exercises serve dual purposes.

They provide operational realism for disaster scenarios but also function as testing grounds for communications, logistics, and combat support networks, applicable in high-intensity conflict situations.

The use of unmanned aerial and surface systems, integrated command-and-control frameworks, and joint logistics planning further enhances both nations’ ability to respond rapidly in complex maritime environments.

Evolution of ‘Aman Youyi’: From Tabletop to Tactical

The Aman Youyi series has evolved significantly since its inception.

The first iteration in 2014 consisted primarily of tabletop war games and planning simulations hosted in Malaysia.

By 2015, the exercise expanded into a live-action format — marking the first time Chinese troops conducted combined field training with the Malaysian military.

Subsequent editions in 2016, 2018, and 2023 grew in scale and sophistication, introducing naval, air, and amphibious elements as well as limited multilateral participation.

Each successive exercise has refined command coordination, interoperability frameworks, and joint operational doctrines, transforming Aman Youyi from a symbolic friendship event into a credible operational rehearsal environment.

The 2025 edition thus represents a continuation of this trajectory — bridging traditional bilateral diplomacy with modern joint operations training.

Strategic Benefits for the Malaysian Armed Forces

For Malaysia, Aman Youyi 2025 offers an invaluable platform to strengthen its joint force command structures, particularly within the context of its Maritime and Eastern Fleet modernisation roadmap.

The ATM can leverage this exercise to evaluate the readiness of its joint operations doctrine, maritime surveillance assets, and logistics interoperability with foreign forces.

It also allows Malaysia to assess PLA operational methodologies, particularly in amphibious operations, expeditionary logistics, and integration of unmanned platforms — capabilities increasingly relevant to Malaysia’s evolving security landscape.

Given the ATM’s push for greater maritime domain awareness, exposure to PLA systems such as long-range ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) drones, integrated radar networks, and amphibious support craft could offer valuable insights.

Additionally, ATM’s own participation — likely involving naval vessels from the Royal Malaysian Navy, RMAF maritime patrol aircraft, and Army amphibious units — provides a venue to test inter-branch coordination under joint command.

For Malaysia’s defence planners, the lessons learned from working alongside one of the world’s most rapidly modernising militaries could influence future procurement priorities, training doctrines, and strategic partnerships.

China’s Expanding Defence Diplomacy in ASEAN

The Aman Youyi 2025 exercise forms part of Beijing’s broader push to expand its military diplomacy across Southeast Asia.

Throughout 2025, China has conducted multiple bilateral exercises in the region — including ‘Exercise Cooperation 2025’ with Singapore, ‘Golden Dragon 2025’ with Cambodia, and ‘Falcon Strike 2025’ with Thailand.

These recurring engagements underline China’s intent to institutionalize military partnerships in ASEAN through pragmatic, low-politicized cooperation, focusing on HADR and counter-piracy while simultaneously strengthening its strategic foothold.

Unlike the Western-led frameworks such as AUKUS or the Quad, China’s approach emphasizes non-confrontational engagement, positioning itself as a partner for regional stability.

By working closely with Malaysia — a neutral and diplomatically agile ASEAN state — Beijing reinforces its narrative of “shared security for shared prosperity.”

At the same time, Malaysia’s consistent participation ensures that it retains strategic flexibility, avoiding overt alignment with any bloc while maintaining constructive ties with all major powers.

Regional Implications and Power Dynamics

The timing of Aman Youyi 2025 is geopolitically significant.

It occurs against a backdrop of heightened tensions in the South China Sea, where territorial disputes, military buildup, and great-power rivalries continue to shape the regional balance.

Some observers interpret China’s growing pattern of joint drills as an attempt to normalize its military presence in Southeast Asia and secure operational familiarity with key sea routes.

Others view it as an assertive form of defence diplomacy — offering training and assistance that also builds political capital with regional militaries.

Malaysia, by hosting and participating, walks a delicate line between cooperation and caution.

It benefits from joint training and access to advanced technology but must simultaneously ensure its sovereignty, transparency, and neutrality remain intact.

For ASEAN as a collective, the inclusion of observers from member states offers an avenue for broader defence confidence-building, potentially aligning with the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) framework for humanitarian and maritime cooperation.

Operational Realities in the Straits of Malacca

Conducting the exercise in the Straits of Malacca is a decision steeped in both strategic and operational logic.

The strait is one of the most congested maritime arteries globally, serving as a gateway between the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

Its narrow width and dense commercial traffic make it vulnerable to piracy, accidents, and environmental hazards, while its geopolitical importance renders it a critical point of interest for both regional and extra-regional powers.

For the ATM, conducting joint operations here enhances its ability to protect Malaysia’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and secure vital shipping lanes.

For the PLA, it provides operational familiarity with an area that is integral to China’s Maritime Silk Road — a core component of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

This shared interest in maintaining maritime stability gives Aman Youyi a dual dimension — part cooperation, part strategic rehearsal.

As quoted by the Global Times, Chinese defence expert Zhang Junshe noted that both China and Malaysia face common maritime challenges, including piracy, natural disasters, and the need for coordinated search-and-rescue operations.

He stressed that these non-traditional security threats transcend national boundaries and require joint regional responses.

Zhang added that the exercise is not aimed at any specific country, but rather intended to safeguard the collective peace and stability of the region.

His remarks underscore China’s messaging that its regional military cooperation is fundamentally defensive and stabilizing, a narrative that Beijing has consistently advanced amid Western criticisms of its South China Sea activities.

Public Advisory and Safety Coordination

Malaysia’s Joint Forces Headquarters issued precautionary notices to the public regarding the presence of foreign troops and convoys near urban areas.

Given the concentration of population in Klang, Subang, and Puchong, this advisory aims to mitigate potential alarm during troop movements and live exercises.

Such transparency also demonstrates Malaysia’s emphasis on civil-military coordination, ensuring that security drills of this magnitude do not disrupt daily civilian life or local economies.

Authorities have coordinated with local councils, traffic management units, and law enforcement agencies to maintain safety and public order throughout the exercise period.

READ: QW-19: Malaysia’s Next-Generation Shield Against Drones, Helicopters and Low-Altitude Air Threats

Aman Youyi 2025: Beyond Symbolism

Ultimately, Aman Youyi 2025 represents far more than a bilateral show of goodwill.

It is a calculated exercise in regional defence diplomacy, strategic balancing, and operational testing.

For Malaysia, it solidifies its role as a constructive security actor in Southeast Asia — a state that can engage with all major powers while upholding neutrality and sovereignty.

For China, it deepens its defence footprint in a region vital to its economic and strategic lifelines, projecting a narrative of responsible power engagement.

For ASEAN as a whole, the exercise contributes to confidence-building measures that may, if properly leveraged, reduce miscalculation and enhance regional disaster preparedness.

The exercise demonstrates that cooperative security remains possible even amid a landscape increasingly defined by competition.

As the ships depart and the soldiers march into formation, Aman Youyi 2025 stands as both a symbol of friendship and a manifestation of evolving strategic realities — a microcosm of the balance Malaysia must continue to navigate in the decades ahead. — DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA