Over 15 years of global missions, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy hospital ship Peace Ark has delivered medical care to more than 370,000 people across 52 countries, transforming humanitarian outreach into a powerful vessel of diplomacy and friendship.
The hospital ship, China’s first domestically designed and built standardized oceangoing medical vessel, was commissioned in December 2008 with the hull number 866. With a displacement of 14,300 tons, it houses five major medical zones, namely casualty transfer, triage, outpatient, inpatient, and evacuation, which span 4,000 square meters. Since its maiden overseas voyage in August 2010, the Peace Ark has sailed over 320,000 nautical miles, visiting 52 countries across three oceans and six continents, providing medical services to over 370,000 people.
Shen Xurong has been part of the Peace Ark's crew since its commissioning 17 years ago, participating in all ten "Mission Harmony" tours.
"Back in 2010, during my first mission abroad, I felt so excited and had a strong sense of responsibility. We had never been to those waterways, so we had to carefully chart our course, exploring and learning as we went," he recalled.
The mission extends beyond providing treatment onboard. The medical teams regularly conducted clinics in remote areas, expanding their reach and serving a wider population.
These efforts have fostered deep connections with the people of the countries visited.
"Usually when we think of the army, all we think about is war. This is like having an army going around the world, helping people, that's really nice. That's really good," said a resident of Seychelles.
PLA Navy hospital ship celebrates 15 years of humanitarian missions overseas
China's two major power grid operators -- the State Grid Corporation of China (State Grid) and China Southern Power Grid (CSG) -- reported a surge in investment in the first quarter of 2026, underscoring efforts to strengthen infrastructure construction and support high-quality socioeconomic development in China.
The State Grid said it completed fixed-asset investment worth 129 billion yuan (about 18.77 billion U.S. dollars) in the first three months of this year, up 37 percent the corresponding period of the previous year. The spending has driven more than 250 billion yuan (36 billion U.S. dollars) of investment across the wider industrial chain.
Key projects such as the Panxi ultra-high-voltage (UHV) alternating current (AC) line and the Anhui-Hubei back-to-back direct current (DC) project have seen ground broken for their construction, while several west-to-east power transmission projects have been upgraded.
Investment in connecting renewable energy generation to the grid was reported to have exceeded 10 billion yuan (1.45 billion U.S. dollars) from January to March, a year-on-year rise of more than 50 percent.
The CSG also reported robust growth in investment in the three-month period, with fixed-asset investment reaching 38.45 billion yuan (5.58 billion U.S. dollars), up about 50 percent from a year earlier.
Among its achievements, the company completed and commissioned 80 key projects, including the 220 kV cross-sea power grid interconnection project, which was officially put into operation on March 20. The project ended years of grid isolation on the Weizhou Island in south China by linking it to the main power system of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
The construction of 17 other major energy projects, including one linking the power grid of the Xizang Autonomous Region in southwest China with that of Guangdong Province in south China, is advancing rapidly. These projects are expected to bolster regional industries, the maritime economy, digital collaboration and the transition to green energy.
"By accelerating major project construction, investment during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030) is expected to approach 1 trillion yuan (145 billion U.S. dollars), driving a further 2 trillion yuan (290 billion U.S. dollars) of investment across upstream and downstream industries," said Dong Yanle, deputy general manager of the Engineering Construction Department under the China Southern Power Grid.
China ramps up power grid investment in January-March to boost growth
