BEIJING — China and Malaysia will jointly host a disaster relief drill later this month, attended by some 2,000 participants from members of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and international organizations, a spokesman announced on May 20.

State Councilor Wang Yong will be present at the fourth ARF disaster relief drill and visit Malaysia from May 24 to 28, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at a daily news briefing.

“This year’s event is co-hosted by China and Malaysia and it will be the first time that China has organized a military and civilian disaster relief drill overseas,” Hong said of the biennial exercise under the ARF framework.

More than 600 participants from China’s ministries of foreign affairs, defense and civil affairs will attend the drill. The 2,000 participants will also include personnel from the ARF, ASEAN and UN, Hong said.

Founded in 1994, the ARF is a regional forum for security dialogue in Asia. The forum groups 27 countries including the 10 ASEAN member states and their dialogue partners.