Training vessel will take part in joint exercises

The high-seas-going training ship Zheng He of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy arrived in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on the morning of Oct 12 for a four-day training exchange and good will visit.

The ship received a warm welcome at Pier 26 from US Navy officials, local Chinese organizations and associations such as the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii and Hawaii Chinese Overseas Association and volunteer Chinese nationals.

For US Navy public affairs officer Krystyna Nowakowski, it was her second time on board the Zheng He and she was delighted to see her Chinese culture course teacher from the Chinese navy again.

"I was on board the Zheng He when the ship was sailing across the Atlantic in 2013. I was a third-year student at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis. I had two Chinese culture courses and had a great time," Nowakowski said.

Minister of the Chinese Embassy in the US Wu Xi and Deputy Consul General of the Consulate General of China in Los Angeles Sun Lushan were also on hand with the US navy band to greet the Chinese crew with shakes and smiles.

"This is the second time the ship has made a visit to Pearl Harbor, the first time being in April 1989," said Ye Kaihua, commanding officer of the Zheng He.

"We are excited to have this second 'handshake' with our American counterparts, exchanging knowledge and skills."

The training ship, with 171 cadets (18 of whom are female) from three naval academies in China (the Dalian Naval Academy, the Naval University of Engineering and the Naval Aeronautical Engineering Institute) on board, started its far seas intern mission from the port city of Dalian in northeast China on Sept 23, and had conducted paid port calls to Vladivostok in Russia. After Pearl Harbor the ship will head to Chinhae port in South Korea.

"We want our students to broaden their horizons through their experience and to enhance their professionalism through the exchange programs with their counterparts from the US," said Yan Zhenming, commander of the Zheng He's commission journey this time around.

"Now our ship makes ocean-going navigation annually and globally. We have set up routine training programs for cadets, who expect to be the captains of the PLA Navy's next generation," Ye told China Daily.

Commanding officers of the Zheng He are scheduled to visit the headquarters of the US Navy's Pacific Fleet and the USS Chosin, a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser named in honor of the Battle of Chosin, and attend a deck reception on board.

"We will do some search and rescue planning, a damage control exercise, and go through and share our voyage lessons and show our equipment," said Kevin Brand, commanding officer of USS Chosin.

"We look forward to hosting the Chinese navy on Thursday on the USS Chosin with a social event."

Sailors from both sides will also participate in sports activities such as rowing, football and basketball before their departure on Oct 16.

Zheng He is China's first naval training vessel. Since 1987, it has completed a global voyage, paying visits to 28 countries and regions. The ship's 1989 visit to Pearl Harbor was the PLA's first-ever port visit to a US port since 1949. During that visit, the Zheng He sailors visited with their American counterparts and traded souvenirs, played basketball and enjoyed local Hawaiian entertainment.

President Xi Jinping said when he met with US President Barack Obama in Washington on Sept 25 that military-to-military ties are a vital component of China-US relations and the two sides should maintain the momentum for high-level military exchanges.

Xi called on the two militaries to make better use of institutional dialogue and conduct more joint drills and training exercises, saying China, at the invitation of the US, will attend the 2016 Rim of the Pacific multilateral naval drills and dispatch personnel to Seattle to participate in humanitarian aid and disaster relief training.

Upon arrival, the Zheng He held a deck reception for US navy officers, Chinese consular officials and representatives of Chinese nationals and the local Chinese community.

"I am happy and proud to be one of the people to welcome Zheng He, I hope they enjoy Hawaii," said 91-year-old retired Honolulu dentist Joseph Young, who took a bus to the pier to welcome the ship and take a tour of it.

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