Chinese naval squadron calls at Vladivostok Tuesday

14.10.2008, 05.26


VLADIVOSTOK, October 14 (Itar-Tass) - A squadron of combatant ships of the naval forces of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China, called here on Tuesday for a visit. The squadron consists of the destroyer "Tai Zhou" and the guided missile frigate "Ma Anshan".

An officer in the information and public relations service of Russia's Pacific Feet (PF) has told Itar-Tass that the naval squadron's four-day visit is made under the flag of Vice-Admiral Xu Hungmeng, Commander of the PLA's East Sea (Sea of Japan) Fleet, who arrived in the main city of the Primorsky Territory for this purpose earlier in the day.

"The present meeting between Russian and Chinese navy men pursues the main aim: to promote a further development of naval cooperation between the navies of our two countries," the PF information service officer pointed out.

The programme for the visit is traditional: the PF Command and the PT administration chief will receive Chinese seamen. The programme also envisages bus tours, basketball competitions, and a number of official functions and informal get-togethers of the seamen of the two countries. Hosts on the Russian side are the large anti-submarine ships Admiral Panteleyev and Admiral Tributs.

This is a fifth call at Vladivostok by a Chinese naval squadron. Last time naval ships of the PLA and PF Marines participated in large-scale bilateral anti-terrorist exercises "Peace Mission-2005" that took place in the area of the Liaodong Peninsula.
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