China, France hold joint naval exercise in Mediterranean

Toulon, France  -- Naval forces of China and France conducted a joint military exercise in the Mediterranean Sea on Tuesday.

The "China-France Friendship 2007" drill in the Mediterranean Sea off the southern French port city of Toulon was the first of its kind between the two navies in the Mediterranean.

The five-phase exercise focused on joint search and rescue operations. It aimed to improve cooperation between the two navies to improve their ability to cope with unconventional security threats.

The exercise was conducted shortly after two Chinese naval vessels, the guided missile destroyer Guangzhou and supply ship Weishanhu, wrapped up an 87-day European tour that took them to Russia, Britain, Spain and France.

Major General Su Zhiqian, deputy commander of the South China Sea Fleet of the Chinese Navy and commander of the two Chinese naval vessels, said after the exercise that the goodwill visit and the military exercise had helped deepen the military exchange and cooperation between the two countries, explored ways to jointly respond to unconventional security threats and boosted their capability to deal with a security crises.

On Tuesday morning the two Chinese vessels sailed out of Toulon, the last stop on a voyage of 23,000 nautical miles on which they also called at Russia's St. Petersburg, Britain's Portsmouth, and Spain's Cadiz.

After the exercise, the two Chinese vessels were to return home.