First foreign vessel arrives to join multinational navy event for Chinese navy anniversary

A frigate of Singaporean navy arrived at Dagang port in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, on Friday morning to attend the multinational navy event to mark the 70th founding anniversary of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy.

A frigate of Singaporean navy arrives at Dagang port in Qingdao, Shandong Province, on April 19, 2019 to attend the multinational navy event to mark the 70th founding anniversary of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy. [Photo: China Plus]

This is the first foreign naval vessel to arrive for the four-day event which is to start on April 22.

Navy delegations from more than 60 countries and vessels from more than 10 countries were invited to participate.

With a displacement of 3,200 tonnes, an overall length of 114.8 meters and a beam of 16.3 meters, the Formidable-class frigate RSS Stalwart of the Republic of Singapore Navy has a maximum speed of 27 knots.

The event, which is to be held in Qingdao and nearby air and sea areas, includes maritime parade, high-level seminars, joint military music display, warship public open day activities, cultural and sports exchanges, and military professional exchanges.

April 23 marks the 70th founding anniversary of the PLA Navy.