The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy's hospital ship "Silk Road Ark" arrived at Papua New Guinea's capital Port Moresby on Wednesday, commencing a seven-day friendly visit.
This is one of the stops for the hospital ship during its "Harmony Mission 2025," and the third visit by a Chinese naval hospital ship to Papua New Guinea.
The 220-day mission 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-ton-class standard ocean-going hospital ship.
During the visit, the hospital ship will provide patient treatment, community clinics, and donations of medical supplies, and it will also send medical teams to conduct physical examinations for new recruits of the Papua New Guinea Defense Force.
The hospital ship departed from Quanzhou City of east China's Fujian Province on September 5 for the humanitarian medical service mission to the South Pacific and Latin America.
China's navy hospital ship arrives in Papua New Guinea for friendly visit
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday renewed criticism of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), calling the alliance unhelpful to the United States.
"NATO wasn't there when we needed them, and they won't be there if we need them again," Trump said in a Truth Social post after talks with NATO chief Mark Rutte.
"Remember Greenland, that big, poorly run, piece of ice!" Trump also said in his post.
Rutte is on a visit to Washington from Monday to Sunday for talks with Trump and senior U.S. officials, as divisions over the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran have sharpened tensions within the 77-year-old military alliance.
Speaking to U.S. media outlets, Rutte said that Trump "is clearly disappointed with many NATO allies," describing the talks as "very frank, very open."
Since the Iran war began, Trump demanded NATO allies join the United States to open the Strait of Hormuz, but was rejected. European countries like Spain and Italy even refused the U.S. military to use their airspace, which enraged Trump.
Trump on Monday sharpened his criticism of NATO, telling a White House press conference that some allies had gone "out of their way not to help" the United States in its war against Iran and once again describing the alliance as a "paper tiger."
In an interview early this month, he said he was "absolutely" considering an attempt to withdraw the United States from the alliance.
The rift in the transatlantic alliance has widened during Trump's second term, fueled by his decision to launch the war on Iran, and earlier tensions over his push to take over Denmark's Greenland.
Trump renews criticism of NATO, calls alliance unhelpful to U.S.
