A South African Navy frigate arrived in Shanghai on Sunday for a five-day goodwill visit, marking its first port call in the city and the second time a South African naval vessel has visited China since 2008.
The frigate Amatola was welcomed at a naval base of the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) with a ceremony featuring lined-up sailors and a military band.
The visit aims to deepen practical exchanges between the two navies, strengthen strategic trust, and promote regional peace and stability.
"Your navy is very capable, very professional, and extremely disciplined. There is a lot that we can take from that and learn from that. There is a lot engagement and interaction at sea, but also not only that, in the shipbuilding capability, the maintenance capacity, a lot of engagements happening between the two navies," said Captain Dieter Jones, Officer Commanding the South African frigate Amatola.
During Amatola's Shanghai trip, the two sides will hold ship tours, exchanges, sports matches and discussions on maritime security, collaboration and joint training.
"The South African Navy frigate Amatola's visit to Shanghai has established a broad platform for cooperation between the two sides. Taking this visit as an opportunity, both parties will continue to expand areas of exchange, elevate the level of cooperation, and jointly contribute to building a maritime community with a shared future," said Zhai Weikun, a Chinese naval officer of the PLA Eastern Theater Command naval base.
Shanghai welcomes South African frigate for goodwill visit
