A Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) flotilla on an anti-piracy mission called at Malta in March for a five-day stopover ahead of further visits to ports in Algeria, Morocco, Portugal and France. The ships, the Jiangkai Ⅱ class Type 054A frigates Huangshan (570) and Hengyang (568) and naval tanker Qinghaihu (885), spent four months on patrol in the Gulf of Aden prior to making a rare foray into the Mediterranean. The goodwill visits to Europe and Africa come as it was confirmed that PLAN warships are to participate in the Rim of The Pacific (RIMPAC) for the first time.
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