The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s ship formation 83 arrived at Sattahip port, Thailand, on Thursday, beginning a four-day visit in Thailand, according to the PLA Navy. An expert said these exchanges are beneficial for mutual learning and aim to foster joint progress.
At about 7 am local time, the training ship Qi Jiguang and the amphibious dock landing ship Yimengshan arrived in the designated waters and rendezvoused with Thailand’s ship HTMS Chang. Personnel from both sides exchanged greetings using flag signals. The three ships then formed up and proceeded toward Sattahip port. Around 10 am, the Qi Jiguang and the Yimengshan slowly docked, according to the PLA Navy.
On the dock, Chinese Ambassador to Thailand Zhang Jianwei and embassy staff, representatives of Chinese-funded institutions and overseas Chinese, and members of the Royal Thai Navy - more than 1,700 people in total - were present to greet them, and a grand welcoming ceremony was held. Local primary and secondary school students, holding Chinese and Thai flags and friendship banners, together with representatives of the Chinese community, sang "Ode to the Motherland" to warmly welcome the visiting Chinese naval vessels, according to the PLA Navy.
After the ceremony, the welcoming party boarded the ship for a visit. A guard of honor made up of personnel from the ship formation was reviewed by Ambassador Zhang on the flight deck of the Qi Jiguang, according to the PLA Navy.
Song Zhongping, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times on Thursday that naval ships need to conduct various types of open-sea and oceangoing adaptation training, which cannot be carried out only in coastal or nearshore waters. "Nor can it be done solely at the academy; they must go to other distant seas and oceans, and even visit other countries and regions to strengthen exchanges. In particular, these exchanges are beneficial for mutual learning so as to foster joint progress," said Song.
Meanwhile, especially when dealing with maritime issues on the high seas, they need the knowledge and experience of a diplomat. So in order to quickly and easily become proficient in international law, for these trainees, practical exercises are necessary during the learning process and can help achieve that goal, Song said.
The ship formation composed of the ship Qi Jiguang and ship Yimengshan set sail from Dalian, Northeast China’s Liaoning Province, for the ocean-going training with more than 1,200 midshipmen and sailors onboard on September 26, according to China Military Online, an official English-language military news website of the Chinese Armed Forces.
During the mission, the ship formation held open ship events in China’s Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. They also visited Cambodia, according to Xinhua News Agency.
Strengthening exchanges and cooperation, especially exchanges among trainees, will better facilitate mutual learning, and will also give trainees the chance to see what the outside world is like. It is very beneficial to the Navy’s internationalization, as it enables them to understand what real maritime environments are like, according to Song.
This visit marks the third time the Qi Jiguang has visited Thailand, while the Yimengshan arrived in the country for the first time, according to the PLA Navy.
During the visit, the ship formation’s crew members will tour the Royal Thai Navy’s aircraft carrier "Chakri" and other military facilities, and will visit the Royal Thai Naval Academy to hold talks with academy officers and personnel, and take part in friendly ball games and other activities, according to the PLA Navy. Trainees from the PLA Dalian Navy Academy and the PLA Naval Submarine Academy will also go to that academy for in-depth exchanges, according to the PLA Navy.
While berthed at Sattahip port, the Qi Jiguang and the Yimengshan will hold ship open events for the Thai military, local government officials, overseas Chinese and staff of China-funded institutions; in addition, the Qi Jiguang will host a deck reception on Friday evening, according to the PLA Navy.
原文地址：http://en.people.cn/n3/2025/1017/c90000-20378459.html