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Chinese Military Officer: U.S. Tries to Use “Cobra Gold” Military Exercise to Control ASEAN

An annual multinational military exercise, with the code name Cobra Gold 2013, opened in Thailand on February 11. Regarding the objectives of the exercise, Rear Admiral Yin Zhuo, Director of the Navy Information Expert Committee, believes that the United States is hoping to cooperatively combat terrorism and to further its control of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) by conducting military exercises with Thailand. Yin said, "The more important purpose of the exercise for the United States is to use Thailand to control the ASEAN countries. … (The U.S.) has maintained friendly military cooperation with Thailand. At the same time, it has ensured a strategic military foothold in the ASEAN region. Once an emergent event occurs in the region, it can proceed from Thailand and carry out a large-scale intervention in the entire ASEAN region.” 

[Editor’s Note: This is the 32nd iteration of Cobra Gold hosted by Thailand and the United States since 1980. It includes the United States, Thailand, and five other Asian countries, while an additional 20 send observers.]
Source: Xinhua, February 12, 2013 
http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2013-02/12/c_124343049.htm