China’s navy hospital ship returns after multinational medical aid, exchange mission

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy's hospital ship "Silk Road Ark" on Sunday returned to a naval port in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province, after completing its multinational medical assistance and exchange mission.

It marks the 11th time the Chinese Navy has carried out the "Harmonious Mission" series since 2010, and the first time that the ship has gone abroad since its commissioning. The mission lasted 234 days and covered a total distance of approximately 36,000 nautical miles.

During its mission, the ship sailed through the South Pacific, the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, visiting Nauru, Fiji, Tonga, Jamaica, Barbados and Papua New Guinea to provide medical services. The team also visited Brazil and Chile to conduct medical exchanges, and made technical stops in Nicaragua, Uruguay and Fiji during the trip.

During the mission, the medical team adopted three modes of operation: onboard diagnosis and treatment, forward medical rounds and helicopter transfers, providing free medical services to local residents, overseas Chinese, and personnel from Chinese institutions. A total of over 26,300 outpatient visits, over 2,700 surgical procedures, over 17,000 auxiliary laboratory tests, and 136 inpatient treatments were conducted.

In addition to providing medical assistance, the mission also deepened cultural exchanges and military cooperation, including courtesy calls, medical exchanges, and cultural and sports activities with the countries visited, and joint maritime exercises with the navies of Fiji, Tonga and Brazil.

"During this mission, we actively promoted the Belt and Road Initiative, enhanced friendship and mutual trust with the countries we visited through professional medical services and sincere exchanges and interactions, and put into practice the concepts of a community with a shared future for humanity and a maritime community with a shared future. This fully demonstrated the Chinese army's firm determination and sincere attitude in loving and safeguarding peace," said Qu Fanhao, a member of the team.

China’s navy hospital ship returns after multinational medical aid, exchange mission

A wild Asian elephant wandered into a temporary border checkpoint in southwest China's Yunnan Province in the early hours of Friday, prompting police and auxiliary officers to evacuate to safety before the animal calmly left without causing damage.

The elephant approached the checkpoint in Jiangcheng Hani and Yi Autonomous County of Pu'er, bypassed barriers and traffic cones, and eventually walked away peacefully.

Officers followed established procedures, withdrawing to safe areas and ensuring no disturbance to the elephant, personnel or facilities.

The county, located at the junction of China, Laos and Vietnam, is a key habitat for wild Asian elephants. Local checkpoints often see elephants "drop by," and officers have developed a routine response when facing such an elephant encounter.

Upon receiving alerts or spotting elephant activity, officers are expected to immediately clear the area, close access routes, and monitor the animals until they depart, before swiftly restoring order.

Wild Asian elephant strolls into border checkpoint in Yunnan