Chinese naval ships open for public visits in Malaysia

Three Chinese naval ships opened for public visits at Port Klang, Malaysia, on Saturday.

The three vessels -- Type 052D destroyer Yinchuan, Type 071 amphibious landing ship Jinggangshan and Type 056A corvette Jingmen -- are currently in Malaysia for a joint exercise between the two navies, codenamed "Peace and Friendship 2025," which runs from Oct. 15 to 23.

During the open day, visitors marveled at flight decks, hangars, cabins, and bridges, gained insights into the advanced weaponry through naval officers' expert explanations, and learned about the ships' storied evolution and missions by watching captivating promotional videos.

Malaysian soldiers and officers, overseas Chinese and students studying in the Southeast Asian country attended the event.

"I brought my family here, especially my child, to have a look at our nation's warships. Their formidable power and majestic presence instill a strong sense of security for us abroad," said Zhang Kai, an overseas Chinese.

"I want to get a closer look at China's technological and military might. Here on foreign soil, I have an opportunity to see our five-star national flag at a closer distance and embrace the comforting warmth of home," added Liu Zhexi, an overseas Chinese student.

Inspired by the experience, other people expressed their resolve to contribute to a stronger China-Malaysia friendship.

"Marking the start of another 50 years in China-Malaysia relations, we are committed to fulfilling our responsibilities by seizing this historic moment and making more contributions to the friendship between our two nations," said Yao Pengyu, another overseas Chinese student.

Chinese naval ships open for public visits in Malaysia

Even under assumptions that the U.S.-Israel war on Iran does not persist past April and that traffic through the Strait of Hormuz gradually resumes, the world will face the pressure of rising oil prices throughout this year, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on Tuesday.

In its latest Short-Term Energy Outlook released on Tuesday, the EIA raised the forecast of Brent crude oil spot price for 2026 to 96 U.S. dollars per barrel from the previous forecast of 79 U.S. dollars a barrel.

Retail gasoline and diesel prices will continue the rising trend this year, said the outlook.

The outlook maintains a risk premium on crude oil prices throughout the forecast period, as the EIA expects uncertainty around future supply disruptions to keep prices above pre-conflict levels.

"Once flows through the Strait of Hormuz resume, we assume it will take time to resolve the backlog and disruption to oil tanker routes and trade flows and that the potential for future disruptions will remain at risk and create a premium in the oil price," it said.

US Energy Information Administration forecasts rising oil prices throughout 2026