4. PLA Navy's first circumnavigation of the world
The guided-missile destroyer Qingdao and the replenishment oiler Taicang completed the PLA Navy's first circumnavigation of the world on Sept. 23, 2002, a 132-day voyage covering 33,000 nautical miles. The fleet traveled through 15 channels, 22 bays, and 45 island groups, and paid friendly visits to Singapore, Egypt and Turkey. The round-the-world voyage set the highest PLA Navy record in regards to navigation time, the number of countries visited and mileage covered.