INS Shivalik Organises Deck Reception at Qingdao
04/22/2014

The Indian Naval Ship SHIVALIK arrived at Qingdao port on 20 April 2014 for participating in the Multilateral Maritime Exercise being organized by the PLA Navy as part of the 65th anniversary of the establishment of the Navy.

The INS SHIVALIK was open to visitors on 22 Apr 2014 and a large number of persons from the local Chinese and Indian community availed the opportunity to visit one of the frontline frigates of the Indian Navy. A total of 1100 Chinese civilians, 375 PLA Navy personnel and about 50 Indians visited the ship and appreciated the modern features and sleek design of the ship.

A deck reception was hosted by the ship in the evening which was graced by HE Mr Ashok Kantha Ambassador of India to China. The Chinese, foreign participants and Indian community enjoyed the scintillating performance by the onboard Indian Navy Band and cultural performance by the ship’s crew. About 650 people visited the ship in the evening reception. Prominent among these were Admiral Wu Shengli Commander PLA Navy, Vice Admiral Mark Norman Commander Royal Canadian Navy, Rear Admiral Anne Cullerre Commandant Maritime Zone Pacific Ocean from France, Admiral Katsutoshi Kawano Chief of Staff JMSDF, Rear Admiral Jack Steer Chief of New Zealand Navy, Admiral Jonathan Greenert Chief of Naval Operations US Navy and Admiral Harry Harris Commander US Pacific Fleet.

Concurrently the 14th WPNS is underway in Qingdao and is being hosted by the PLA Navy. A two member delegation under Rear Admiral S N Ghormade, NM and the Indian Defence Attache participated in the forum. As 2014 has been declared as the “Year of Friendly Exchanges” between India and China, these defense cooperation activities underscore the increasing bilateral defense ties between the two countries.

Qingdao
April 22, 2014