Chinese Navy ship arrives in Manila for 3-day ‘goodwill visit’

Training ship Qi Jiguang of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy. | PHOTO: CHINESE EMBASSY MANILA’S FACEBOOK PAGE

MANILA, Philippines — The Chinese Navy’s training ship arrived on Wednesday for a three-day “goodwill visit” in the Philippines amid an ongoing maritime dispute with the country.

Training ship Qi Jiguang of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy arrived at Pier 15, South Harbor of the Port of Manila, and will remain in the country until June 17.

During their stay in Manila, the Chinese Embassy in Manila said Chinese naval officers and cadets would visit a Philippine Navy (PN) vessel to conduct a joint passing exercise among other professional exchanges before both sides conduct a friendship sports match.

“A steady step in CN-PH defense cooperation, the visit is following the tradition of exchanges between the two militaries in addition to implementing the important consensus between the heads-of-state of China and the Philippines,” the embassy said in a statement.

The Navy, in a statement, said the Chinese contingent who are in the country for a “goodwill visit” will be treated “with the customary and usual accommodation it renders to all visiting navies which fulfill its diplomatic role and promotes naval cooperation.”

The ship, named after a 16th-century Chinese Ming Dynasty navy officer, was commissioned in February 2017, is the “largest and most advanced naval training vessel designed and built by China herself”, according to the embassy.

This is the first time a Chinese Navy ship has visited Manila since 2019, when PLA Navy’s Escort Task Group 539, comprising three vessels, conducted a five-day visit to the Philippines.

Their arrival in Manila is the last leg of the 163-meter vessel’s regional tour, which also included stops in Vietnam, Thailand, and Brunei.

China claims almost all of the areas in the South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea, through its nine-dash line.

But the Philippines challenged China’s claim before the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which later invalidated China’s claim.

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