Chinese warship arrives today

MANILA, Philippines - The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Task Force 525 will arrive in Manila today to make a port call after completing its escort mission and contributing to peace, stability and security in the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia.

On invitation of the Philippine Navy, the Task Force 525 will make a call in Manila from April 13 to 17.

The task force is the fourth escort convoy dispatched by the Chinese Navy, consisting of missile frigates Ma’anshan (flagship) and Wenzhou and supply ship Qiandaohu.

Senior Captain Qiu Yanpeng, deputy chief of the East Sea Fleet of the Chinese Navy, commands Task Force 525.

During the 128-day mission since arriving in the operation area on Nov.12, 2009, the task force had provided escort to over 650 Chinese and foreign merchant vessels, including six from the Philippines and other vessels of international organizations like the World Food Program for transporting humanitarian materials.

Throughout all the escort missions, Chinese Navy task forces have shown openness, confidence, professionalism and team spirit in anti-piracy intelligence sharing, operational coordination and personnel contacts with their foreign counterparts.

These escort missions have contributed to peace, stability and security in the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia.

On April 27, 2009, the missile frigate Huangshan, one of the second Chinese Navy convoy vessels, escorted MT Stolt Strength, a Philippine-registered chemical tanker, to a safe point near Oman after Somalian pirates freed the tanker.