By Jiang Shan, Shi Kuiji
BEIJING, Oct. 8 (ChinaMil) - The Chinese naval hospital ship Peace Ark (Hull 866), which is on the “Harmonious Mission 2018,” arrived in Grenada's capital St. George's on October 2 for an eight-day friendly visit and providing humanitarian medical service. This is Peace Ark’s second visit to the country since 2015.
Grenada, located at the southernmost tip of the Windward Islands in the Eastern Caribbean, is the sixth stop of the "Harmonious Mission 2018". The Chinese naval hospital ship Peace Ark arrived at the St. George's Port at 10 a.m. on Oct. 2, local time, and the Grenadian side held a grand welcome ceremony for its arrival at the port.
The Grenadian Foreign Minister Peter David, Health Minister Nickolas Steele, Police Commissioner Edvin Martin, Chinese Ambassador to Grenada Zhao Yongchen, Chinese embassy staff, overseas Chinese, and representatives of Chinese-funded institutions welcomed the Chinese hospital ship at the port.
At the welcome ceremony, David, on behalf of the Grenadian government and people, extended a warm welcome to the Peace Ark’s visit and expressed sincere gratitude to the Chinese government and Chinese people. He said this visit would push the friendly exchanges between the two countries to a new height and become a new milestone in the two countries' bilateral friendship.
Steele said that during its first visit in 2015, the Peace Ark completed diagnosis and treatment, surgery, and physical examinations for more than 9,000 local people in just a few days, and it also held a variety of academic, cultural exchanges and charity activities, bringing great benefits to the people of Grenada. The visit in 2015 thus became a deed widely praised in the history of the two countries' bilateral relations and since then, the people of Grenada have been looking forward to seeing the Peace Ark again.
The commander of the "Harmonious Mission-2018" said that the Peace Ark, loaded with the deep friendship of the Chinese people, traveled across the ocean to visit Grenada again, which has far-reaching significance. During the visit, the Peace Ark will carry out a series of activities such as medical services, community and off-island itinerant visits, and academic exchanges to deepen friendship, further enhance the two peoples' sense of participation and gain in developing bilateral relations, and make new contributions to the promotion of bilateral relations.
Zhao Yongchen said in his speech that this is a friendly visit to carry forward the spirit of international humanitarianism, spread the concept of "peace, development, cooperation and win-win" and it reflects the Chinese people's sincere friendship towards the people of Grenada. China will always be a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, and a defender of international order. China will always promote the building of a community of shared future for mankind and make positive contributions to the lasting peace and development of the world, said Zhao.