For what is considered to be a sign of goodwill and trust, China's navy ship "Peace Ark" has arrived in Venezuela for what is considered as its maiden visit in the Latin American country, bringing along with it free medical care and support for Venezuelans.
The arrival of the hospital ship in the country follows after the visit of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Beijing this month, where he sought for China's support in its limping economy.
The vessel, according to The Hindu, docked on Saturday at the port of La Guaira, near Caracas, to start off its medical mission.
The Peace Ark, which was commissioned back in 2008, has the capacity to hold multiple surgical operations at one time thanks to its eight, state-of-the-art surgery rooms. It also has a medevac helicopter.
Citing the details provided further over at RT, the ark will be in the country for more than a week and during its stay, its Chinese commander will meet with Venezuela's military and political officials. Medical officers on deck will also perform an inspection of the current medical facilities in Venezuela.
During its arrival, the crew of the Peace Ark was received with warm greetings coming from recipient's military top brass such as Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez. In a statement quoted by the publication, the minister said that the arrival of China's medical ship in the country is a clear indicator that sovereign countries are taking concrete actions to establish cooperation.
In his Twitter post, Lopez went on to say that the visit manifests China and Venezuela's shared diplomatic ideals which put more concern on peace and prosperity.
Maduro, meanwhile, reiterated in a statement given to the press, that the Peace Ark's arrival means a great deal in cementing a strategic operation between the two nations.
Just recently, the US sent a similar-class navy ship to Colombia where its medical crew seeks to treat refugees from Venezuela.
Xi Jinping-Maduro Government Alliance
It's no secret that Maduro's leftist government is currently under fire over its failing attempts to recover the Venezuelan economy. As part of its effort to reverse the situation, the Venezuelan head of state went over to China earlier this September with the goal to make a fresh slate of economic deals with the Asian powerhouse.
As confirmed in this previous report from the site, Beijing has once again agreed to offer USD$5 billion credit line to the Maduro administration plus a multi-billion funding deal deemed to reinvigorate Venezuela's struggling energy sector.
