Two Chinese naval vessels on Monday conducted a first ever joint exercise with the British aircraft carrier Ark Royal in the Atlantic sea near the southern British port city of Portsmouth.
The two Chinese naval vessels are the guided missile destroyer Guangzhou and the supply ship Weishanhu. This is the first time that Chinese naval vessels have conducted a joint exercise with an aircraft carrier and it is their first exercise in the Atlantic sea.
The exercise covered communication operations, including light communications and ultra-high frequency telecommunication, change of formations, joint fleet formations search, and search and rescue of damaged ships.
The exercise was conducted under the following scenario: a naval vessel from country G caught fire while at sea; country G then requests Chinese and British naval vessels to go in search of the vessel and any survivors.
This is the second time that Chinese warships have visited Britain since September 2001. The journey comprises the second leg of their 87-day voyage that has already taken the ships to St. Petersburg, Russia. They will also dock in Spain and France.
(Xinhua News Agency September 11, 2007)
