Crew members of the Chinese Navy's destroyer Nanchang held a flag-raising ceremony on Sunday to celebrate the fifth anniversary of being commissioned.
On Jan 12, 2020, China's first Type-055 destroyer was commissioned, inheriting the hull number of the Navy's first destroyer, "101".
Throughout the five years, Nanchang has been involved in multiple missions in distant waters and open oceans.
"In one of the years, we patrolled in the island chain five times, and set sail nearly 100 times, with over half a year being on missions," said Wang Xiuyue from destroyer Nanchang.
The launch of Nanchang, an indigenous large destroyer that has a deadweight of over 10,000 tonnes, is symbolic for the navy, marking its destroyers are upgrading into the fourth generation.
"Nanchang '101' means the first. Since Nanchang was the first of its kind, we had no blueprints or materials to refer to. We explored to build it by ourselves," said Wang Zhongguang, who is responsible for securing Nanchang's electric system.
With his master electrotechnology skills, Wang is respected as an "elite soldier," an informal title to show respect to the best soldiers.
"To be an 'elite soldier' means you have to do your best all the time," said Wang.
Wang's spirit was echoed by many of the Nanchang crew members.
"I am looking forward to participating in more distant water missions with Nanchang. I hope to spend another five years with her, or even longer," said Lei Qi, a Nanchang crew member.
"I believe that to become a world-class navy, we must press ahead despite all difficulties," said Lin Xue, another crew member.
Nanchang Destroyer crew members celebrate fifth anniversary of commissioning
China is ready to work with Argentina to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries and bring the bilateral relations to a new level, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday.
This will benefit the people of the two countries and help China and Latin America achieve common development and prosperity, Wang said. He made the remarks during a meeting with his Argentine counterpart Gerardo Werthein on the sidelines of the ongoing Munich Security Conference.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that the Chinese and Argentine people have enjoyed a long-standing friendship, and China-Argentina cooperation is equal and mutually beneficial.
Last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Argentine President Javier Milei held a meeting and reached important consensus on consolidating and developing bilateral relations, said Wang.
China is willing to work with Argentina to implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state and strengthen exchanges at the high level and in all fields, so as to bring the bilateral relations to a new level and better benefit the people of both countries, he said.
Wang also said the two sides should continue to respect and accommodate each other's core interests and major concerns, and continuously consolidate the political foundation of bilateral relations.
Wang pointed out that China does not seek spheres of influence, nor does it participate in geopolitical competition. In international affairs, China firmly practices multilateralism and is willing to work with Latin American countries, including Argentina, to firmly safeguard the international rule of law and the basic norms of international relations, he said.
Wang noted that China-Argentina relations are an important part of China-Latin America relations. Over the past decade since its establishment, the China-Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) Forum has effectively promoted China-Latin America cooperation and brought tangible benefits to the people of both sides, he said.
China is willing to work with Latin American countries to support the development and growth of the China-CELAC Forum, helping China and Latin America achieve common development and prosperity, said Wang.
Werthein said that Argentina attaches great importance to its relations with China, and looks forward to strengthening high-level exchanges and deepening pragmatic cooperation with China.
Noting that Argentina appreciates China's support for Argentina's defense of its sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands, Werthein said Argentina firmly adheres to the one-China principle and is willing to become a reliable and stable cooperative partner of China.
Werthein also said that Argentina will play an active role in promoting the development of Latin America-China relations on the basis of strengthening bilateral relations.
China ready to push ties with Argentina to higher level: FM