PLA Navy training ship to visit ROK, Malaysia

A training vessel of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy set sail from China on Thursday for a visit to the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Malaysia.

The ship Zheng He left a military port in northeast China's Liaoning Province and will visit an ROK port from Aug. 4 to 7 and a Malaysian port from Aug. 16 to 19, said Jiang Guoping, commander of the mission.

During its 40-day voyage, the ship will also patrol the islands and reefs in the waters around the Nansha Islands in the South China Sea, Jiang added.

A total of 362 officers and soldiers are onboard Zheng He, and among them 152 are students from the Dalian Naval Academy. They will carry out at-sea training and practice during the trip.

Named after the famous Chinese navigator of more than 500 years ago, the Zheng He ship is the first ocean-going training vessel designed and built by China independently.

It has been in commission for 26 years.