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The Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China has given approval for two missile frigates of the naval escort taskforce 529 of the Chinese Navy to make a port call in Hong Kong on December 14 (Monday). The port call invitation was made by the HKSAR Government to the frigates that are returning home after completing their mission to fend off Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden.
The two frigates - Zhoushan and Xuzhou - will berth at the Ngong Shuen Chau Barracks until December 17 (Thursday).
Naval escort taskforce 529 left Zhoushan, in Zhejiang Province, China, on July 16 and arrived in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia on July 30. The taskforce formally took over escort duties from the second naval escort taskforce of the Chinese Navy on August 1. During the past four months, naval escort taskforce 529 successfully completed 53 escort missions for a total of 582 Chinese and foreign ships, including 146 ships from Hong Kong, in the Gulf of Aden.
While in Hong Kong, the public will be allowed to tour the two frigates. Arrangements for distribution of tickets for touring the ships will be announced by the People's Liberation Army Forces Hong Kong in due course.
Ends/Friday, December 4, 2009
Issued at HKT 18:15
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