By Li Mingyu and Lin Fei
Chinese-funded institution personnel in Brunei take a group photo aboard the Chinese training ship Qi Jiguang on Sept. 27, 2019. (Photo by Zhang Xueshan)
MAURA, Brunei, Sept. 30 (ChinaMil) --The Chinese naval training ship Qi Jiguang (Hull 83) that is carrying out a two-month ocean-going training and visit mission, made its first port call on Friday morning at the Port of Muara, Brunei, for a three-day friendly visit. This is the first time that the vessel has visited Brunei after its commissioning.
At 8:30am local time, the Chinese naval training ship Qi Jiguang decorated with both Chinese and Brunei national flags, slowly docked at the 4th and 5th berths of the Port of Maura. Over 300 people, including Yu Hong, Chinese Ambassador to Brunei, Wu Geng, military attaché of the Chinese Embassy in Brunei, Captain Norshahrinizam bin Haji Talib, Commander of Royal Brunei Navy (RBN), representatives of Royal Brunei Navy, and representatives from the Chinese Embassy came to welcome its arrival at the dock.
During the visit, Rear Admiral Yu Wenbing, commanding officer of the ocean-going training and visit mission, and his entourage will meet with Major General Pengiran Dato Pauduka Seri Aminan Bin Pengiran Haji Mahmud, Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF), and First Admiral Pg Dato Seri Pahlawan Norazmi Pg Hj Muhammad, Commander of the Royal Brunei Navy, and also visit the RBAF Museum.
The Chinese naval sailors and cadets will also visit the Royal Brunei Navy patrol ship, conduct professional and sports exchanges with their Brunei counterparts, and participate in the public welfare activity of beach environment protection with the Royal Brunei Navy sailors, the staff of the Chinese Embassy in Brunei, and representatives of Chinese institutions. Meanwhile, the ship Qi Jiguang will hold a deck reception, and also open to the Royal Brunei military, Chinese institutions and local people. In addition, a communication exercises with the Royal Brunei warships is on the schedule.
Named after Qi Jiguang, China's national hero in the Ming Dynasty, the naval training ship Qi Jiguang officially joined the Chinese PLA Navy in February 2017. Designed and built by China itself, it is the largest professional training ship with the highest tonnage and the highest level of modernization. This time, it is scheduled to visit a number of Asia-Pacific countries including Brunei, East Timor, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and Fiji. And this is the second ocean-going training and visit mission of the ship since it was commissioned.