A Chinese naval fleet comprising the Shenzhen missile destroyer
and Weishanhu depot ship arrived in Cochin on Monday morning for a
three-day friendship visit to India.
The Chinese fleet, when it leaves Cochin on December 1, will
hold a joint military exercise in marine search and rescue with the
Indian Navy.
The military exercise is the first for the Chinese navy in
Indian waters with the Indian navy.
The exercise is aimed at improving the safety of maritime trade
and improving search and rescue coordination at sea.
In 2003, China and India held a similar naval exercise off the
Shanghai coast.
(Xinhua News Agency November 29, 2005)