Chinese naval hospital ship completes visit to Tonga

The Chinese naval hospital ship, "Silk Road Ark," departed Tonga Monday after a seven-day visit during which the ship provided medical services to locals.

During its stay, the ship logged more than 5,000 outpatient visits, performed 875 surgeries, carried out 3,402 CT scans and other diagnostic exams, sent mobile teams to three local community health centers, flew a medical detachment by helicopter to ʻEua Island to treat 187 villagers, and conducted combat-first-aid training for Tongan naval personnel.

"Silk Road Ark" will next set sail for Latin America to continue its humanitarian medical service mission dubbed "Mission Harmony 2025."

"We ramped up diagnosis and treatment efficiency to meet local demand to our best extent. Tongan patients warmly welcomed and fully recognized the skills of Chinese military doctors. Next we will prepare thoroughly for our Latin-American stops, making concrete actions to support the building of a community with a shared future for mankind," said Chen Weidong, a naval officer on board.

"Silk Road Ark" departed southeast China's Fujian Province on Sept 5 for its humanitarian medical service mission to the South Pacific and Latin America.

The "Mission Harmony-2025" marks the 11th iteration of Mission Harmony since 2010 and the first overseas mission for "Silk Road Ark," China's second domestically designed and constructed 10,000-tonne-class standard ocean-going hospital ship.

China's outstanding aggregate social financing -- the total amount of financing to the real economy -- reached 442.12 trillion yuan (about 63.4 trillion U.S. dollars) as of the end of 2025, up 8.3 percent year on year, central bank data showed on Thursday.

The country's aggregate social financing stood at 35.6 trillion yuan (about 5.1 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2025, up by 3.34 trillion yuan (about 479 billion U.S. dollars) from the year 2024, said the People's Bank of China (PBOC), the country's central bank.

According to the data, the M2, a broad measure of money supply that covers cash in circulation and all deposits, increased 8.5 percent year on year to 340.29 trillion yuan (about 48.8 trillion U.S. dollars) as of the end of December.

In addition, outstanding yuan loans stood at 271.91 trillion yuan (about 39 trillion U.S. dollars) at the end of 2025, up 6.4 percent year on year.