Shanghai receives first African warship

"I appreciate the Chinese government's considerate arrangement. It's lovely to see the modern part of Shanghai, and at the same time feel its history," she said.

Christopher Manig, captain of the Spioenkop, surveyed the Chinese frigate he visited along with the crew very minutely. "I was impressed that the ship was built in China, and that most of the system equipment on board were also made in China. The Chinese people must be proud of it," he said. The Spioenkop was built in Germany.

Yao Yunzhu, a senior expert in foreign military studies with the Academy of Military Sciences, said Spioenkop's is doubly important - ending 600 years of one-way visits between China and Africa and taking a tangible step in military communication.

The Spioenkop stopped in Singapore before visiting Shanghai. And from China, it will visit Malaysia, Vietnam, India and Mauritius.

(China Daily October 20, 2008)