At 15:00, October 7, the 26th Chinese Navy Escort Taskforce fleet slowly departed from Thames Quay, West India Docks, London, after a successful five-day good-will visit to Britain. Ambassador Liu Xiaoming, Military Attaché Su Guanghui, and Commodore David Elford, British Naval Regional Commander for Eastern England, joined over 300 people including representatives of British Armed Forces, Chinese-funded institutions, and overseas Chinese and students, to see the fleet off at the dock.
Ambassador Liu and Commodore David Elford (right) seeing the Escort Taskforce off
Ambassador Liu extended his congratulations to the Escort Taskforce on its successful visit to Britain. He spoke highly of the visit showing the spirit of the Chinese Navy, enhancing the understanding of the British public on the achievements of the Chinese military, conveying the message that the Chinese armed forces are committed to deepening cooperation with the militaries of other countries, to maintaining world peace, and to promoting the development of China-UK relations and the military-to-military relations.
Rear Admiral Wang Zhongcai, Commander of the Escort Taskforce, and Political Commissar Xu Siqing joined the officers and soldiers of the Taskforce in waving goodbye to the send-off party, and expressing their heartfelt thanks to the British Armed Forces, the Chinese Embassy in the UK, and the overseas Chinese for their strong support and warm hospitality.
During the call of the Taskforce, General Sir Gordon Messenger, British Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, Vice Admiral Benjamin Key, Fleet Commander of Royal Navy, and several other senior military and government officials boarded and toured the ships; Ambassador Liu Xiaoming held a welcoming reception for the Taskforce members at the Chinese Embassy; leading officers of the Taskforce paid visits to senior British military and government officials and held talks with representatives of the overseas Chinese community. The Taskforce also held a deck reception and an open day, as well as seminars on humanitarian relief and other topics and a number of visits and sport competitions with the British military. Nearly 2,000 people visited the ships including British military and government senior officials, celebrities from all walks of life in the UK and representatives of overseas Chinese and students.
The BBC, Daily Telegraph, Financial Times and other mainstream British media paid close attention to and covered the visit, noting that in a world with increasing global challenges, the British and Chinese armed forces need to strengthen cooperation more than ever so as to cope with the challenges together. In this context, the Chinese Escort Taskforce's visit to Britain is of great significance in that it meets the strategic requirements of the two countries, and has opened a new chapter in deepening the relationship between the two militaries and the strategic mutual trust between the two countries.
The British people from all circles highly commended the achievements of China's national defence and Chinese army in recent years, hoping that the two countries and the two militaries may further enhance mutual understanding and friendship and expand the exchanges and cooperation in scope and depth. Overseas Chinese and students were rejoiced at the Chinese Navy fleet's visit to Britain, saying that they were excited and inspired to welcome China's Naval ships to London. They expressed their sincere wishes for a prosperous motherland and a strong PLA.
