Chinese hospital ship 'Peace Ark' concludes visit in Gabon

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy hospital ship "Peace Ark" completed its week-long mission in Gabon and left for Cameroon on Thursday.

At 10:00 local time, the Peace Ark left the Owendo Port in Libreville, the capital of Gabon, where Gabonese officials, local residents, staff of Chinese institutions, and overseas Chinese held a seeing-off ceremony and waved goodbye to the soldiers on board.

During the seven days in Gabon, the Peace Ark used its main platform to provide medical services to incoming patients. In addition, it also dispatched expert teams and medical teams to local hospitals to offer joint medical treatment to local residents.

The medical professionals on the ship provided medical treatment to over 6,900 people, conducted auxiliary examinations for more than 3,300 people, and successfully performed 171 surgeries.

The hospital ship also performed the first ship-based robotic operation on a 71-year-old male patient in Gabon after having a confirmed diagnosis and getting the patient's consent.

When offering joint medical treatment, doctors from China and Gabon engaged in in-depth discussions on surgical skills. Gabonese doctors also observed a gallbladder removal surgery on the Peace Ark.

"The operation went smoothly. Gabonese doctors observed the whole process of our surgery. We exchanged experiences with them about promoting minimally invasive surgery in Gabon. The advanced medical facilities on the hospital ship and the professional skills of Chinese doctors are recognized by Gabonese doctors," said Doctor Pang Tao with the Mission Harmony-2024.

The Peace Ark set sail from a military port in Zhoushan in east China's Zhejiang Province in mid-June for the Mission Harmony-2024.

During the mission, the ship will visit 13 countries in total and provide medical services to local people. It will also make port calls to France and Greece.

Chinese hospital ship 'Peace Ark' concludes visit in Gabon

The European Union's decision to impose anti-subsidy tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) has met with considerable opposition from both its member states and industry leaders.

The European Commission -- the executive arm of the 27-nation EU -- approved to impose tariffs of up to 45 percent on Chinese electric vehicles after a pivotal vote on Friday, even after the bloc's largest economy and major car producer Germany rejected them.

In the vote, 10 EU members backed tariffs and five voted against, with 12 abstentions, according to a Reuters report. Nonetheless, the EU said it has received necessary support from its members.

Tanja Gonner, managing director of the Federation of German Industries (BDI), emphasized in a statement on Friday that the EU's decision to impose anti-subsidy duties on Chinese electric vehicles must under no circumstances mean the end of talks with China.

The German industry is calling on both sides to continue negotiations and prevent an escalating trade conflict, Gonner said.

She reiterated that both economic powerhouses should focus on risk management in their cooperation to avoid potential geopolitical and economic risks.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban expressed strong opposition to the tariffs in an interview on Friday, calling it an approach that seems to be sealing its own competitiveness, growth and development potential.

The EU could slip into an "economic cold war" with China, Orban warned in the interview.

Orban emphasized that the tariffs would significantly impact Hungary's economy, adding that Hungary wishes to maintain an economically neutral stance.

The European Commission, however, added it would continue negotiations with China in parallel to explore an alternative solution.

China's Ministry of Commerce said on Friday that China believes the bloc is promoting unfair competition.

EU decision on Chinese EV tariffs ignites backlash from its members and industry leaders