DALIAN, China, Sept. 28 -- On September 26, the 83rd taskforce, composed of the training ship Qi Jiguang (Hull 83) and the amphibious dock landing ship Yimengshan (Hull 988) attached to the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, set sail from Dalian City, northeast China's Liaoning Province, for the ocean-going training with more than 1,200 midshipmen and sailors onboard.
The midshipmen onboard are dispatched by the PLA Dalian Naval Academy, Naval Submarine Academy, and Naval Medical University. In addition, five foreign military students from the PLA Dalian Naval Academy are incorporated for mixed-group training together with Chinese midshipmen throughout the journey.
During the mission, the taskforce will hold open ship day activities in Hong Kong and visit Cambodia, Thailand, and Singapore, where they will carry out mutual learning activities with the navies of the visited countries.
While docking at foreign ports, troops of the taskforce will pay official visits to foreign military facilities, and conduct discussions with foreign troops. These activities aim to promote friendship with the people of the visited countries and demonstrate the good image of the Chinese PLA Navy.