Chinese navy fleet visits Cape Town, South Africa

CAPETOWN, June 18 (People's Daily Online) --A Chinese navy fleet consisting of two missile frigates and a supply ship docked at Cape Town on Tuesday. Local visitors are allowed to board missile frigates Yancheng and Luoyang during the four-day visit.

The warships were welcomed by a cheering crowd of people at the port. Among them were Chinese Ambassador Tian Xuejun, high-ranking South African navy officers, and oversea Chinese in South Africa.

The fleet is on its eight-country African tour after completing escort missions as the 16th Escort Task Force. South Africa is also the last stop of the tour.

In the past six years, the Escort Task Group of the Chinese Navy has actively participated in escort missions of the international community in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia, escorting more than 5,500 vessels from different countries.

The Yancheng of this Escort Task Group has also successfully completed the escort mission of seven batches of Syrian chemical weapons.