 |
| A Chinese Navy Frigate (File Photo) |
By Edith Regalado and Michael Punongbayan
DAVAO CITY , Philippines – Three Chinese Navy vessels arrived yesterday afternoon at Sasa Wharf here on the first leg of goodwill visits in the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Naval Forces Eastern Mindanao public affairs officer Lt. Jetmark Marcos said the Philippine Navy welcomed the visiting ships.
Marcos said the event was like welcoming a visitor to one’s home where the Philippine Navy met the Chinese ships at sea through the BRP Nicolas, which escorted the vessels to their berthing or docking place at the wharf.
Philippine Navy chief Vice Admiral Ronald Joseph Mercado told The STAR that the visit of the Chinese naval vessels from Shanghai is a welcome development amid warming ties between China and the Philippines after both have decided to bring years of island disputes in the South China Sea under control.
It is also the first visit by Chinese military ships to the country in seven years.
The three Chinese naval vessels are Chang Chun (DDG 150), a guided missile destroyer; Jin Zhou (FFG 532), a guided missile frigate and Chao Hu (890), a replenishment ship.
Read the full story at PhilStar