Exercises Military Diplomacy

Navy Ship 83 Formation Successfully Completes Distant-Sea Comprehensive Training and Visit Mission

海军83舰编队圆满完成远海综合实习访问任务

PLA Daily (解放军报) 17 August 2026

Summary

The PLA Navy training ship Qi Jiguang (hull 83) and amphibious transport dock Kunlunshan (hull 998) returned to Qingdao on August 17 after a 64-day, 11,000-nautical-mile distant-sea training mission that embarked 970 cadets from the Naval Dalian Ship Academy, Naval University of Engineering, and Naval Submarine Academy, plus 19 embedded foreign military personnel from 10 countries including Brazil, Indonesia, and Vietnam. The mission transited the Tsushima Strait and Taiwan Strait, made port calls in Russia, Vietnam, Brunei, and Indonesia, and conducted mixed-unit instruction in terrestrial and celestial navigation (地文航海, 天文航海). The embedded foreign-trainee component documents a deliberate effort to institutionalize multilateral naval education as a tool of military diplomacy, extending a pattern in which China uses academy training infrastructure — rather than exercises alone — to build persistent relationships with partner navies across Southeast Asia and beyond.

Translation

XINHUA, Dalian, August 17 (Li Bingxuan, Zhang Wanying) — The Navy Ship 83 Formation successfully completed its distant-sea comprehensive training and visit mission and returned to China on the morning of the 17th.

The mission formation was composed of the PLA Navy vessels Qi Jiguang and Kunlunshan. The 970 trainees who carried out the mission aboard the ships came from the Naval Dalian Ship Academy, the Naval University of Engineering, and the Naval Submarine Academy. Nineteen foreign military personnel from 10 countries including Brazil, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Vietnam were embedded alongside Chinese trainees in mixed training units.

Since departing from a naval port in Qingdao on June 15, the formation sailed through the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, Sea of Japan, South China Sea, and other waters, transiting the Tsushima Strait, Taiwan Strait, Karimata Strait, and other waterways. The mission lasted 64 days and covered a total voyage of more than 11,000 nautical miles. While completing instructional arrangements for subjects including terrestrial navigation (地文航海) and celestial navigation (天文航海), the formation also organized trainees for on-station familiarization duties.

During the mission, the formation conducted goodwill visits to four countries — Russia, Vietnam, Brunei, and Indonesia — and carried out deck receptions, ship tours, and sports friendship competitions with the navies of the host countries, visited local academic institutions for exchange discussions and cultural performances, and conducted ship open-day activities for local civilians.

The PLA Navy vessel Qi Jiguang, hull number 83, has a full-load displacement of more than 9,000 tons. It is a purpose-built training ship independently developed by China, used primarily for maritime practical training by naval academy students and officers and enlisted personnel. The PLA Navy vessel Kunlunshan, hull number 998, is the lead ship of the Type 071 amphibious transport dock.

Original Chinese

新华社大连8月17日电（李秉宣、张婉莹）海军83舰编队17日上午圆满完成远海综合实习访问任务回国。此次任务编队由海军戚继光舰、昆仑山舰组成。随舰执行任务的970名参训学员来自海军大连舰艇学院、海军工程大学、海军潜艇学院。来自巴西、印度尼西亚、孟加拉国、越南等10国的19名外军人员随舰同中方学员混编参训。自6月15日从青岛某军港起航以来，编队航经黄海、东海、日本海、南海等海域，穿越对马海峡、台湾海峡、卡里马塔海峡等水道，历时64天，总航程11000余海里。编队在完成地文航海、天文航海等课目教学安排的同时还组织学员进行了岗位见习。任务期间，编队先后对俄罗斯、越南、文莱、印度尼西亚4国进行友好访问，与到访国海军开展甲板招待会、舰艇参观、体育友谊赛，赴当地院校进行交流座谈、文艺演出，面向当地民众开展舰艇开放活动。执行此次任务的海军戚继光舰，舷号83，满载排水量9000余吨，是我国自主研制的专业训练舰，主要供海军院校学员、官兵进行海上实习训练。海军昆仑山舰，舷号998，是071型两栖综合登陆舰首舰。