Asian marine drill starts without China, S Korea

TOKYO, May 28 (Reuters) An Asian marine security drill has begun without China or South Korea, which had been scheduled to play key roles in the exercise, the Japan Coast Guard said today, after an apparent misunderstanding over its purpose.

The drill scenario is based on a simulation of a suspicious ship being refused entry to the port of Shanghai and then being tracked by Chinese and other coast guard vessels in turn as it heads away from the port.

The United States, Canada, Japan and Russia are taking part in the exercise. It would have been the first time that China had been involved in such a joint drill.

''The Sequoia, the US ship that is playing the role of the suspicious vessel, left the port at 7 pm'' yesterday, a coast guard spokesman said. ''Neither China nor South Korea are taking part.'' Japanese coast guard officials coordinating the event have stressed that the exercise is not connected to the US-led Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), because no military forces are involved.

China and South Korea have been reluctant to join the PSI, which aims to curb the spread of weapons of mass destruction, apparently to avoid offending North Korea, the reclusive communist state with nuclear ambitions that are the subject of six-way talks.

The initial plan for the drill had included a reference to the suspicious vessel being from a country suspected of exporting weapons of mass destruction.

Although the Japan Coast Guard later altered the scenario to delete this reference, officials said it appeared to have been misunderstood by the Chinese.

REUTERS SHB VV1344