China has taken part in previous RIMPAC drills, but an ongoing territorial dispute in the South China Sea led to a deterioration of cooperation between the two countries.
"The PLAN (People's Liberation Army Navy) will participate in an exercise, the largest exercise that we do, in a couple of months," Aucoin said to journalists at a news conference in Shanghai. Earlier in March, the US suggested that they may "reassess” the participation of Beijing in the upcoming drills.
The announcement came after Beijing readied for its own drills, to be partly carried out in the disputed areas of the South China Sea which, according to Xinhua, will enhance combat readiness and interoperability between naval, air and other forces.
The South China Sea transit zone moves some $5 trillion in trade annually. Other regional states such as Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines have overlapping territorial claims in the area.