Naval Ships' Head Meets Tanzanian Army Chief

Chinese Navy Ships Arrives in Tanzania

Commander of the visiting Chinese naval ships met on Friday with senior Tanzanian military officials on further developing bilateral cooperation. Rear Admiral Huang Jiang, who led the two-ship group which arrived at the Dar es Salaam harbor Friday morning, said the visit was aimed at promoting mutual understanding and deepening friendship.

He made the remarks during a meeting with General Robert Mboma, Commander in Chief of Tanzanian People's Defense Forces (TPDF) at TPDF headquarters.

Huang said, "China and Tanzania enjoy a long history of friendly relationship that was cultivated by leaders of the older generations of the two countries."

Huang, who is also Chief of Staff of the South Sea Fleet, stressed that the fast development of Chinese economy will enhance the cooperation between China and other developing countries in maintaining world peace.

Mboma expressed satisfaction with the cooperation between Tanzania and China, especially in the military sector. "Tanzania highly appreciates the assistance provided by China in building the navy which has been playing a very important role in defense of the 1,224-kilometer coast and the exclusive economic zone," he said.

Mboma expected cooperation to be further boosted in military personnel training and equipment upgrading.

Later Huang paid a courtesy call on acting Mayor of Dar es Salaam City, Wilson Mkama, who extended his brotherly greeting to the Chinese warships on a two-day goodwill visit to Tanzania.

This is the first visit by Chinese navy ships to Africa since the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, though in early 1400s the Chinese trade fleet headed by Zheng He, great voyager of the Ming Dynasty, had visited the eastern coast of Africa for several times.

The navy group consists of the Shenzhen DDG167, China's newest guided missile destroyer, and Nancang AOG953, China's largest assorted supply ship, with a total of 480 officers and soldiers aboard.

They were greeted by Tanzanian Navy Commander RADM Ligate Sande and other senior officers along with hundreds of overseas Chinese. Leaving its base in Zhanjiang in southern China on July 5, the Chinese warships first paid a four-day visit to Malaysia from July 11 to 14.

They will leave Tanzania on Sunday for Simonstown, South Africa, the last leg of the three-nation tour.

During their stay in the port of Dar es Salaam, the Chinese navy men will hold a friendly football match with their Tanzanian counterparts while the ships are open to the public both on Friday and Saturday.

Since 1980s, Chinese navy has dispatched 13 ship groups to visit a total of 17 countries in five continents in the world.