US navy commander visits Chinese fleet participating in drill

A US navy commander on Saturday paid a visit to a Chinese fleet taking part in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) multinational naval exercise, expressing the will of the United States to continue inviting the Chinese navy to participate in future drills.

Accompanied by Zhao Xiaogang, drill director of the Chinese fleet, Vice Admiral Kenneth E. Floyd, commander of the US Third Fleet, visited missile destroyer Haikou, missile frigate Yueyang, supply ship Qiandaohu and hospital ship Peace Ark.

The Chinese fleet has been well-prepared for this year's drill and the Chinese navy is willing to continue to join RIMPAC exercises in the future, Zhao said.

For his part, Floyd, also commander of the 2014-RIMPAC, said the United States would continue to invite the Chinese navy to the biennial naval exercise.

The US side is looking forward to China's broader and deeper participation in the war game, he added.

The Chinese fleet departed from military harbors in China's southern city of Sanya and eastern city of Zhoushan on June 9 and arrived in the Pearl Harbor Tuesday for the Chinese navy's first involvement in the war game.

The RIMPAC, which started in 1971, is the world's largest multinational maritime military exercise. A total of 23 nations will participate in this year's naval drill scheduled for July 9-30.