|
CHINA> National
![]() |
|
S. African warship visits China after long gap
By Li Xiaokun (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-10-17 09:15 SHANGHAI: The first warship from the African continent to visit China docked at Huangpu River port Thursday, ending 600 years of one-way visits. The SAS Spioenkop with "all religions and races in the new South Africa on board, symbolizes a new transformation in South Africa", Rear Admiral Rusty Higgs said at a welcoming ceremony in Shanghai.
"I can feel the excitement of the ship's company. They've gone through a long trip and some quite rough weather. I know they are happy to be here," he said. The visit is part of the yearlong celebrations to mark the 10th anniversary of China-South Africa diplomatic relations. A Chinese frigate escorted the Spioenkop into the port. Wu Weihua, chief of staff of the Shanghai Naval Base of the East China Sea Fleet, headed a delegation of military and local officials, and diplomats, to welcome the ship. "You've traveled a long distance to bring the friendly greetings of the South African people. We really appreciate it," Wu said. South African Ambassador to China Ndumiso Ntshinga was also there to welcome the ship. "A plan to send a South African warship to China was discussed more than a year ago as a way to consolidate relations with China. We also realized that there was a gap in bilateral naval visits," Ntshinga said. "In history, the Chinese twice made voyages to South Africa, one during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and the other in 2000, but we never reciprocated the visits," he said. |
红河县| 喀什市| 衡东县| 平阴县| 芜湖县| 邢台县| 都匀市| 岳西县| 双江| 贡嘎县| 绵阳市| 舒兰市| 洛南县| 中牟县| 门头沟区| 潞西市| 福清市| 志丹县| 南平市| 汶川县| 集贤县| 永川市| 高邑县| 庐江县| 巴塘县| 中西区| 金湖县| 汝城县| 香格里拉县| 龙川县| 西贡区| 建湖县| 东乡县| 梓潼县| 凤翔县| 静乐县| 界首市| 驻马店市| 六枝特区| 饶阳县| 土默特左旗|