A destroyer from Britain has arrived in the Shanghai on a goodwill mission.
The goodwill visit to China comes at an important time in bilateral relations, just after the British Prime Minister David Cameron concluded his Chinese trip with the strongest delegation he has ever sent to the country.
A large number of senior officials and diplomats from both sides participated in the welcoming ceremony.
"We're very pleased to be able to host the anti-piracy conference. We know that China has a quite active involvement in the anti-piracy arena and something we look forward to boost our cooperation in two days' time," CDR Angus Essenhigh, Commanding Officer of HMS Daring, says.
The commanding officer praised the Chinese navy and looking forward to more exchanges with the navy in the near future.
HMS Daring has finished two thirds of its nine-month deployment. The ship just finished supporting relief efforts in the Philippines.
"It's an important step of good will and I'm delighted to be able to welcome the ship here. This sort of thing just did not happen that frequently in our relationship. I think it was six years ago the last time our navy ship visited China," Sebastian Wood, Britain's Ambassador to China, says.
The Ambassador said the goodwill visit symbolizes the potential for deeper cooperation between the two sides in areas from security to creativity, culture and innovation.
The visit signals the further bilateral relations between the two countries. The destroyer will stay in Shanghai for the next two days. And a number of bilateral meetings and other activities are scheduled.
Source: CCTV
