Marine surveillance to strengthen foreign ties

Chinese maritime authorities are looking to strengthen their cooperation and communication with foreign counterparts, a senior maritime official said on Thursday, and that will include arranging more visits to foreign countries by its surveillance vessels.

"Haixun 01, the largest ship in our patrol fleet, will pay visits to Canada and Australia this year, and our ships will also visit nations in southeast Asia," Chen Aiping, deputy director of the China Maritime Safety Administration under the Ministry of Transport, told a news conference in Beijing.

In September, Haixun 31 paid a five-day visit to Hawaii, in the United States, the first to the country by a Chinese maritime vessel.

During that visit, it worked with the US Coast Guard on a series of maritime cooperation exercises, including joint search-and-rescue drills.

"Our American counterparts praised the skill and capability of our personnel, and both parties deepened their mutual understanding and coordination abilities," said Chen.