A News Feature by James Amoh Junior
Tema, June 29, GNA – The long-standing relationship between Ghana and China has been strengthened with the visit of the 43rd Chinese Naval Escort Task Group to Tema Port, Ghana.
The 43rd Chinese Naval Escort Task Group consists of the Chinese war ship DDGH Nanning 162 Type 052DL guided-missile destroyer, the FFGH Sanya 574 Type 054A and a comprehensive supply ship AOR Weishanhu 887 Type 903, all of which have berthed on the territorial waters of Ghana.
The taskforce, with two ship-borne helicopters and over 700 troops, will voyage from Ghana on Saturday, July 1, 2023, after spending some time in Cote d’Ivoire as part of their escort mission.
The brief welcoming ceremony, characterised by performances from traditional Chinese masquerade dancers, also witnessed the assemblage of the Chinese community in Ghana, which continuously waved China and Ghana flags.
The 43rd Chinese Naval Escort Task Group, with women aboard in spotless white uniforms standing motionless with arms at the sides and feet together on the deck and outer parts of the ship, drew continuous applause from dignitaries and onlookers alike.
Performing their duty with bravery and loyalty during the past six months, the Escort Task Group has been on mission since January 10, 2023.
The group has successfully accomplished an escort mission in the Gulf of Aden, evacuated Chinese nationals from Sudan, fulfilled the international humanitarian obligations and protected the international sea lines of communication.
The Destroyer 162 berthed at the Tema Port, with the inscription “China-Ghana Friendship is Time-tested”.
It is one of the many Type 052DL guided-missile destroyers available to the Chinese surface fleet fitted with all-modern solutions to all-modern battlefield threats.
Dignitaries, including the Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Lu Kun; Mr Kofi Amankwa-Manu, Deputy Minister of Defence; Vice Admiral Seth Amoama, Chief of Defence Staff; Senior Naval Officers and the Chinese Community were given a guided tour of the Destroyer 162.
Mr Lu Kun, Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, said the task force’s escort mission in the Gulf of Aden and evacuation of Chinese nationals from Sudan, demonstrated that China was a responsible country and congratulated the team for the courage, dedication and outstanding achievement.
He said China-Ghana relations was getting enhanced with pragmatic cooperation flourishing, cultural ties increasingly closer, and military cooperation making considerable progress.
The Ambassador said the Armed Forces of Ghana and China had and resumed face-to-face exchanges after COVID-19 with the sod-cutting for the Chinese Military Aid Gratis Project for Ghana.
The port call, he noted, aimed at deepening understanding, and would further consolidate the Ghana-China friendship and expand cooperation.
He expressed optimism that the visit would open a new chapter for military relations and promote China-Ghana relations to a higher level.
China and Ghana, the Chinese Ambassador said, were both advocates and defenders of world peace and that last year, President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Security Initiative with China issuing the Global Security Initiative Concept Paper early this year.
“It states clearly that it is our common aspiration to achieve lasting world peace and China is ready to conduct bilateral and multilateral security cooperation with all countries and international and regional organisations under the framework of the Global Security Initiative…to jointly promote world peace and tranquillity,” he said.
Mr Kun said, “China supports the efforts of African countries, the AU 46 and sub-regional organisations to resolve regional conflicts, fight terrorism and safeguard maritime security”.
“Enhancing mutual exchanges and cooperation in the military field between our two countries is of positive significance. China is willing to explore cooperation with the Ghanaian side and jointly promote peace and tranquillity in the African Region and the world at large.”
The visit of the 43rd Escort Task Group in Ghana, Mr Kofi Amankwa-Manu, Deputy Minister of Defence, said was “appropriate and timely as the Government of Ghana is strategically deepening its relationship with its valued partners, including the People’s Republic of China to reshape our Maritime issues.”
He said over the past decades, the Ministry of Defence and the Ghana Armed Forces had benefited enormously from the Chinese Defence Cooperation Assistance in many areas, including training, platform acquisition, construction amongst others.
Mr Amankwa-Manu reiterated that the military relationship between the Ghana Armed Forces and the People’s Liberation Army had seen enormous cooperation, with the recent one being the 37 Military Hospital expansion project awarded to the China Shipbuilding Trading Company Limited.
Enhancing existing partnership between China and Ghana under a broader Defence Cooperation, he said, was important in the face of deteriorating security conditions within the West African sub-region.
“Enhanced security cooperation in the maritime domain will also help address some of the maritime security threats. Contemporary threats to security such as Terrorism, Violent Extremism, Climate Change, Pandemics, epidemics can only be addressed through cooperation and collaboration with each other,” he added.
Senior Captain ZHAO Lang and Senior YANG Yanhua, captains of the Destroyer 162, said the 43rd Chinese naval escort taskforce set sail for the Gulf of Aden and the waters of Somalia from a military port in Zhanjiang city, southeast China’s Guangdong province, on the morning of January 10, 2023.
Captain Zhao, who applauded the hard work of the task force, said in late April, an armed conflict broke out in Sudan and due to the severe and prolonged nature of the conflict, the task force rushed to Sudan and evacuated 1,171 people from nine countries successfully.
GNA