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Mission Harmony (simplified Chinese: 和谐使命) is a series of humanitarian missions carried out by the Chinese navy since 2010. The hospital ship Peace Ark sails nearly every year to countries in the Global South to provide free medical services and hold cultural exchange events aimed at improving the image of China and the People's Liberation Army (PLA). Most sailors were selected from the PLA Naval Medical University in Shanghai.
Nine missions have taken place. The latest was in July 2023 to Kiribati, Tonga, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and East Timor.
Missions[edit]
The first Mission Harmony in 2010 was the first time a Chinese hospital ship had been sent to provide medical services outside of the country.[1]
The Peace Ark departed from China on August 31 equipped with 8 operating rooms and 300 beds. It provided medical services to Chinese naval officers on anti-piracy missions in the Gulf of Aden and to local people of Djibouti, Kenya, Tanzania, Seychelles, and Bangladesh. In total, it provided health examinations to 2,127 people, received 12,806 outpatients, visited 1,858 patients, and carried out 97 operations.[1] Admiral Wu Shengli said the mission promoted China's image as a "responsible major power that proactively pursues its international obligations."[2]
2013[edit]
The ship sailed 21,000 nautical miles in 125 days from June 10, 2013 to October 12, 2014.
2020s[edit]
In 2022, the Peace Ark left Zhoushan on November 2 with 111 doctors and nurses, and returned to port on November 29 after visiting Jakarta, Indonesia.[3]
A total of 13,488 appointments (with an average of nearly 2,000) and 37 operations took place over 7 days in Jakarta.[3] For the first time, the ship was equipped with devices used for magnet-controlled capsule endoscopy, handheld endoscopes and general anesthesia specifically designed to be used on vessels.[3] Medical personnel established 14 clinical and 3 auxiliary departments, and a pharmacy.
Doctors on the Peace Ark also promoted traditional Chinese medicine to officers of the Indonesian Ministry of Health, including acupuncture and moxibustion.[3]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Chinese navy hospital ship concludes 88-day overseas humanitarian mission". China Military Online. Hangzhou. Xinhua News Agency. November 27, 2010. Archived from the original on December 16, 2010. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
- ^ Heng, Yee-Kuang (2017). "China and Japanese "Soft Power" Projection: A Tangled Web of Culture, Geostrategic Competition, and Naval Power". In Lam, Peng Er (ed.). China-Japan Relations in the 21st Century: Antagonism Despite Interdependency. Palgrave Macmillan Singapore. pp. 263–287. doi:10.1007/978-981-10-4373-4.
- ^ a b c d Sun, Luming; Sun, Fei (November 29, 2022). "Zhongguo haijun "Heping Fangzhou" hao yiyuan chuan yuanman wancheng "Hexie Shiming-2022" renwu huiguo" 中国海军“和平方舟”号医院船圆满完成“和谐使命-2022”任务回国 [Chinese navy "Peace Ark" hospital ship succssfully completes "Mission Harmony-2022" and returns the country]. Xinhuanet.com (in Simplified Chinese). Xinhua News Agency. Archived from the original on November 30, 2022. Retrieved July 3, 2023.