Question: It is reported that the PLAN Ark Peace hospital ship is carrying out Mission Harmony-2024, providing humanitarian medical services to countries it visited. Please update us on the mission.
Zhang Xiaogang: The PLAN Ark Peace hospital ship's Mission Harmony-2024 has taken it to Seychelles and Tanzania, and it is now heading for Madagascar. During Ark Peace's stay in Seychelles, the number of people receiving medical treatment reached nearly 1200 per day. When the ship departed, a local family of three came to say farewell in their own small boat. During Ark Peace's anchorage in Tanzania, a baby weighing 6 jin (3 kg) was born on the ship, being the first "peace baby" for this year's mission.
Apart from providing free diagnoses and treatment to local people, the hospital ship also sent medical teams to local hospitals, communities and schools to provide medical services and conduct academic exchanges and cultural activities. This mission is a vivid demonstration of the earnest efforts made by the PLAN to implement the Global Security Initiative and build a maritime community of shared future. It will also deepen the traditional friendship between China and relevant countries.