Chinese naval ship formation visits Bahrain for the first time. The photo shows the “Kunlunshan” warship is sailing into the Al Manamah Port. (Photo by Yin Hang)
After accomplishing the good-will visit to Saudi Arabia, the visiting Chinese naval ship formation consisting of the “Kunlunshan” warship and the “Weishanhu” warship arrived in Al Manamah, capital city of Bahrain, on the morning of December 9, local time, to kick off a 5-day-long good-will visit. This is the first time for the Chinese naval warships to visit Bahrain.
At 09:00, the “Kunlunshan” warship and the “Weishanhu” warship sailed into the Al Manamah Port. More than 100 people including Yang Weiguo, Chinese ambassador to Bahrain, commodore Abdulla Saeed Al Mansoori, commander of the Royal Bahrain Naval Force, staff of the Chinese embassy and representatives of the Chinese-funded agencies extended their warm welcome to the visiting Chinese naval officers and men at the dock.
During the visit, Li Pengcheng, director of the Navigation Support Department of the Headquarters of the PLA Navy, paid a visit to military leaders of Bahrain including the commander and the chief of staff of the Bahrain Royal Defense Forces (BRDF) and was invited to carry out inter-visit and exchange activities with the Fifth Fleet of the United States Navy stationed in Bahrain. The “Kunlunshan” warship will hold a deck reception on the evening of December 12 to entertain key military officers and political officials of Bahrain and ambassadors of some countries to Bahrain.
The Kingdom of Bahrain established diplomatic relations with China on April 18, 1989. Al Manamah is the place where the headquarters and base of the Fifth Fleet of the US Navy locate.
By Yin Hang and Yu Huangwei
