The Chinese naval hospital ship Peace Ark on Mission Harmony 2024 arrived at the port of Cape Town of South Africa on Thursday for a seven-day goodwill visit during which the Chinese medics will provide medical services to the local community and hold exchange activities with the South African side.
This is the first time for the Peace Ark to visit South Africa, with the aim of increasing mutual understanding in multiple fields and deepening traditional friendship between China and South Africa.
At 10:00, representatives of the South African military, staff members of the Chinese Embassy and Consulates in South Africa, as well as locals, overseas Chinese, and employees in Chinese companies operating in the country gathered at the port to welcome the Peace Ark hospital ship.
During the visit, the mission commander will meet with South African military and government officials, and several South African government dignitaries will also board the ship to participate in exchange activities. Besides, representatives of the mission's personnel will visit local schools to engage in cultural exchanges and participate in friendly basketball and tug-of-war matches with members of the South African military.
"Chinese naval hospital ship Peace Ark will make a use of its main platform to provide medical services and dispatch expert teams to local hospitals for joint consultations and academic exchanges. It will also hold a special academic exchange event on traditional Chinese medicine in collaboration with South African University of the Western Cape. Through frequent and varied exchange activities, we hope to continuously increase shared understanding in multiple areas and deepen traditional friendship of the two countries," said Wang Xiaoxin, Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy officer for the mission.
The "Peace Ark" set sail from a military port in Zhoushan in east China's Zhejiang Province for Mission Harmony-2024 in June.
During the mission, the ship has visited or will visit 13 countries and provided charity medical services to locals.
This is the 12th overseas mission, and the 10th Mission Harmony for "Peace Ark" since its commissioning in 2008.
Chinese navy hospital ship arrives in South Africa for goodwill visit
Chinese navy hospital ship arrives in South Africa for goodwill visit
Switzerland, known for its pristine lakes and rich tradition of fishing, is facing a significant challenge of plunging fish stocks that could threaten the livelihood of many in the fisheries industry.
In recent years, local fishermen have seen their catches decline drastically, with about 90 percent of the fish consumed in the country now being imported. This shift reflects broader environmental changes impacting Swiss fisheries, and the difficulties local fishermen are enduring are becoming more evident each year.
At seven in the morning, as the first light of dawn begins to break, a handful of fishermen at a dock in Geneva prepare to head out to the lake to check the nets they set the previous day. As the long nets were hauled from the water, the catch of perch was relatively small, but the fishermen were still satisfied, especially since they managed to net two large pike, which would fetch a good price.
Francois Liani, a fisherman of 30 years, said 2024 has been the worst year for fishing with the lowest amount of catch.
"I have never seen anything like this in over 30 years. That's right, 2024 is the worst year in the past 30 years," he said.
Fifty years ago, there were more than 800 professional fishermen in Switzerland. Today, that number has dropped to fewer than 90.
"There are many reasons, but one of the most important reasons is global warming -- it is one of the biggest problems. We have also new mussels that come from the Black Sea on the Eastern Europe that came about five, seven years ago. They have a large impact on the food availability for the fishes," said Maxime Prevedello, communication officer for the French-speaking region of the Swiss Fishing Federation (SFV).
As a result, the growth rate of fish has slowed significantly. In 2012, 2013, and 2014, a professional fisherman was able to catch around 1,000 tons of fish annually. Today, that number has dropped to just around 100 tons -- a mere one-tenth of what it used to be, according to Prevedello.
In the summer of 2024, Switzerland once again endured high temperatures. Native fish species such as perch, grayling, and the Alpine char, which have adapted to cold water, have been particularly affected. According to Switzerland's environmental authorities, 58 percent of the country's native fish species are now classified as endangered.
Swiss fishermen face growing struggle as local fish stocks plunge
