Chinese Navy hospital ship completes medical service to Fiji, heads for Tonga

China

Chinese Navy hospital ship completes medical service to Fiji, heads for Tonga

2025-10-09 12:09 Last Updated At：12:37

The Chinese Navy hospital ship "Silk Road Ark," which is on "Mission Harmony-2025," successfully completed a seven-day friendly visit and humanitarian medical service to Fiji and set off for Tonga on Wednesday.

During its stay in Fiji, the hospital ship provided medical treatment for 3,330 person-times, performed 426 surgeries of various types, and carried out 2,531 auxiliary examinations and tests.

Fiji's Minister for Defense and Veterans Affairs Pio Tikoduadua said that the "Silk Road Ark" has delivered tangible benefits to the Fijian community, representing a welcome symbol of care, service, and goodwill.

Before the hospital ship set sail, it conducted a joint maritime search and rescue drill with the Fiji Navy in the waters near Fiji, focusing on subjects such as maritime transfer and maritime treatment.

"You must thank the crew of the Ark Silk Road in carrying out what a tremendous service to be able to neutralize and stabilize the patients that we have," said Eroni Duaibe, Republic of Fiji Military Forces Chief Staff Officer Coordination Captain.

"Fiji and China, we all know, have a very deeply rooted relationship, not only for historical times. And I think of when we have great difficulty here in Fiji, China is always there to help with an extending helping hand," said Ioane Naivalurua, Fijian Minister of Police.

After the drill, the "Silk Road Ark" left for Tonga.

This is the third time that a Chinese naval hospital ship carried out the "Mission Harmony" in Fiji. It is also the first time that the Chinese and Fiji navies have conducted a joint search and rescue drill.

EU expects economy to expand moderately

The European Commission's autumn 2025 economic forecast shows that driven by a surge in exports in anticipation of U.S. tariff increases, the European Union's (EU) economy maintained growth in the third quarter of this year, and it is expected to continue expanding at a moderate pace over the forecast horizon.

In the report released on Monday, the Commission said the gross domestic product (GDP) of the EU is expected to grow 1.4 percent in 2025, with the eurozone expanding 1.3 percent. Growth in 2026 is forecast at 1.4 percent for the EU and 1.2 percent for the eurozone, both slightly lower than projections made in May.

Eurozone headline inflation is projected to ease to 2.1 percent this year from 2.4 percent in 2024. Inflation across the EU is seen declining from 2.6 percent in 2024 to 2.2 percent in 2027, remaining slightly above the eurozone rate.

Due to the increase in defence spending, the EU's fiscal deficit is expected to rise to 3.4 percent of GDP in 2027 from 3.1 percent in 2024. The EU debt-to-GDP ratio is projected to rise from 84.5 percent in 2024 to 85 percent in 2027, with the eurozone ratio set to rise from around 88 percent to 90.4 percent.

The forecast noted that globally, trade barriers have reached historic highs, and the EU now faces higher average tariffs on exports to the U.S. compared with the spring forecast. Persistent trade policy uncertainty continues to weigh on economic activity, with tariffs and non-tariff restrictions potentially constraining EU growth more than expected. Any escalation in geopolitical tensions could intensify supply shocks, it noted.