The Chinese Navy training vessel "Zhenghe"arrived in the southern Italian port city of Taranto Thursday, starting a five-day goodwillvisit to the country.
Decorated both with the Italian and Chinese national flags, the People's LiberationArmy (PLA)'s ocean-going training ship slowly entered Taranto, one of Italy's mostimportant military ports, at around 10:30 a.m. local time (0830 GMT).
The vessel, named after a famed Chinese maritime explorer who sailed overseas about600 years ago, was warmly received by the charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassyin Italy Chen Guoyou, representatives of overseas Chinese and representatives fromthe Italian military.
The ship commander, Liao Shining, who is also deputy chief of staff of the PLA navy,said the main purpose of the visit is to promote the ideal of "a harmonious world and aharmonious ocean," as well as to strengthen the friendship and cooperation betweenthe two countries and the two navies.
Italy is the fifth stop of the vessel's five-month global voyage, which started fromChina's northeastern port city of Dalian in mid-April.
During their stay in Italy, the Chinese sailors aboard the ship will meet with provincialand municipal officials as well as those from the Taranto Naval Command.
The Chinese officers and cadets will also participate in sports games with local navyofficials, and visit Italian Navy vessels and training facilities.
The "Zhenghe," carrying a total of 308 sailors, including 110 students from the DalianNaval Academy, will also hold a joint navigation and passage exercise with the DDG"Doria" of the Italian Navy.
The ship, with a scheduled route of more than 30,000 nautical miles, is expected to payport calls to 11 countries and working visits to three countries during its global voyage
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