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Lt. Cmdr.
Jeff Barta, Officer in Charge of the SH-60 helicopter detachment,
briefs visiting PLA-Navy officers aboard the USS Chancellorsville,
(CG 62). About 1,000 Chinese military personnel visited the U.S.
ship during its three-day port visit to Qingdao. |
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When the U.S. Seventh Fleet ship pulled into Qingdao in August 2000, it was the latest visit by U.S. naval ship to a Chinese port, the last being in August 1998.
Rear Adm. Timothy Keating, Commander, Battle Force Seventh Fleet, headed the U.S. Navy visit composed of the guided missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville (CG 62). PLA-Navy troops, band and banners welcomed the ship's crew and the Commander in Chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, Adm Thomas B. Fargo.
Exchange visits allowed the officers and sailors of the two navies to visit each other’s warships. The PLA-N hosted U.S. Navy visits to the guided missile destroyer Harbin (DDG 112) while USS Chancellorsville (CG 62) opened its decks to visitors from the PLA-N.
The visiting American sailors were treated to entertainment, food, sports, and an opportunity to meet their Chinese naval counterparts on a one-on-one basis. The opportunity to reciprocate China’s hospitality took place when PLA-N ships visited U.S. Navy bases at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and Everett, Washington.
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The purpose
of the naval exchange visits is to increase mutual understanding
between the Chinese and U.S. navies in the Pacific. Rear Adm.
Timothy Keating, Commander, Battle Force Seventh Fleet, receives
flowers from a young girl. Photo by PH2 Lena Gonzalez, USN
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