The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy hospital ship "Peace Ark", which is on the Mission Harmony-2024, arrived at the port of Douala in Cameroon on Monday to conduct a seven-day visit and provide medical service to local residents.
It marked the hospital ship's first visit to the central African country.
The Cameroonian government held a grand welcome ceremony at the dock of the hospital ship, with the attendance of Cameroonian military and political officials, local residents, staff of the Chinese embassy in Cameroon, representatives of overseas Chinese and Chinese-funded institutions in Cameroon.
The hospital ship will offer diagnosis and treatment services on its main platform while dispatching expert and medical teams to local hospitals, military bases, communities, and government institutions to conduct activities such as joint medical treatment, academic exchanges and emergency skills training.
The hospital ship conducted a joint training with two patrol ships from Cameroon's navy in the waters off the port of Douala on Sunday.
The training testified each other's command, communication and coordination capabilities and laid solid foundation for strengthening military cooperation and exchanges between the two sides.
The "Peace Ark" set sail from a military port in Zhoushan in east China's Zhejiang Province in mid-June for Mission Harmony-2024.
During the mission, the ship will visit 13 countries and make port calls to France and Greece.
This is the 10th Mission Harmony for "Peace Ark" since its commissioning in 2008.
There are over 100 personnel on board the maritime hospital, featuring 17 clinical departments and 5 auxiliary diagnostic departments.
The "Peace Ark" is the first domestically designed and constructed standard ocean-going hospital ship in China.
China’s hospital ship “Peace Ark” pays maiden visit to Cameroon
Macao has been emerging as a global hub for conventions and exhibitions in recent years by exploring the enormous opportunities in the sector, driving the region to advance its economic diversification and embrace a brighter future.
Macao has received many awards this year, such as the Best Convention City (Asia) and the Best BT-MICE City, showcasing the recognition for and influence of Macao's exhibition industry.
More than 1,000 electronic game enthusiasts from all over the world gathered recently in Macao to participate in a esports themed event.
Su Zhili, organizer of the event, said that Macao's rich experience in hosting large-scale events, coupled with its good infrastructure, has driven him to choose the region as an ideal destination to hold such an activity.
"Macao has held many similar large-scale events. It has rich experience, and the facilities at the venue are relatively mature, so we can start our work comfortably," said Su.
During the first three quarters of 2024, Macao held more than 1,000 conferences and exhibitions in total.
"We will invite more professional, special conferences to be held in Macao and also cultivate more exhibition brands with international influence in Macao, so as to promote Macao's exhibitions to be more market-oriented, professional, international, digital and greener from various aspects. This is our goal," said Elaine Wong, member of the Macao Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute.
In addition, multiple large exhibitions and conferences, such as the Macao International Trade and Investment fair, the Macao Franchise Expo, and the International Infrastructure Investment and Construction Forum, are held regularly in Macao.
With the introduction of a series of policies and measures to facilitate the exchanges between the mainland and Macao, as well as the construction and development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, Macao's convention and exhibition industry will embrace more opportunities for development in the foreseeable future.
"We have such a good industrial base in the Greater Bay Area. The mode of 'Convention and Exhibition + Industry' not only integrates the industries of Macao, but also the industries of the Greater Bay Area. In addition, Macao actively integrates into the national development and plays a role in the Belt and Road. Why are we so confident in Macao's convention and exhibition sector? Because it is backed by the motherland, and the country gives Macao great support," said Alan Ho, chairman of the Macao Association of Convention, Exhibition and Tourism Sectors.
Macao emerges as global hub for conventions and exhibitions, driving economic diversification and international recognition
