By Wu Xingyu and Wang Hantang
SANYA, Nov. 26 -- With the approval of China's Central Military Commission (CMC), the guided missile destroyer Changsha (Hull 173) attached to a naval destroyer flotilla under the Southern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) set sail Friday afternoon for Bangladesh to participate in the International Fleet Review (IFR) at the invitation of the Navy of Bangladesh.
Bangladesh will host activities to commemorate the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and celebrate the Golden Jubilee of independence of Bangladesh. The PLA Navy will send a delegation to attend the event in Bangladesh early December. The Chinese naval vessel Changsha, meanwhile, will participate in the IFR.
In recent years, the PLA Navy has dispatched multiple destroyers and frigates to participate in the IFR upon invitation of foreign navies. On April 23, 2019, the PLA Navy held an IFR for the celebration of its 70th founding anniversary in waters of the Yellow Sea, 18 naval vessels from 13 foreign countries were invited to participate in that event.
The vessel Changsha is a new-type guided missile destroyer developed, designed and manufactured independently by China. It started to serve in the PLA Navy on August 12, 2015.