Chinese Navy ship to visit Japan

Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009


Chinese Navy ship to visit Japan

BEIJING (AP) A Chinese Navy training ship will visit South Korea and Japan later this month as part of expanded military contacts between China and its neighbors.

The visit of the Zhenghe to the port of Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture, will be only the second by a Chinese naval vessel in recent times as the sides seek to overcome lingering mistrust.

Many Chinese continue to resent Japan's brutal invasion of much of the country, while some Japanese are wary of China's rise as a regional military power alongside its growing economic clout.

Commanded by Rear Adm. Liu Yi, the navy's deputy chief of staff, the ship will first call at the South Korean port of Chinhae on Thursday, the official Xinhua news agency reported Friday.

The ship's complement of 365 will include 230 cadets from four academies under the People's Liberation Army Navy who will carry out a series of exchanges with their South Korean and Japanese counterparts, the report said.

Long known for its secrecy and insularity, China's military has vastly stepped up exchanges with those of other countries in recent years, with a particular focus on Russia, Central Asia, and traditional allies such as Pakistan.

Contacts with Japan and South Korea have been less frequent, due to Beijing's wariness over their close treaty ties to the United States.