Chinese hospital ships cross oceans to provide free healthcare to those in need

I remember an advertising slogan for shampoo from about 20 years ago when I was a child. It said: "Everyone being well is truly being well."

As I grew up, I gradually realized that this is one of the values that Chinese people have adhered to for generations.

The armed forces of this nation, the People's Liberation Army, also practice this value by striving to make the world a better place through various means, as it grows stronger. Those include deploying hospital ships to provide free medical services to people in less-developed countries worldwide.

As a journalist, I have had the privilege of listening to stories of doctors and crew members from Peace Ark, a hospital ship of the Chinese Navy.

Deng Qiang, captain of the vessel, told me that when his ship is voyaging across the oceans, it's not showing the muscles of the armed forces and conducting deterrent activities but spreading the military's belief in world peace.

That's what Deng believes is the "innate advantage" of Peace Ark, a floating medical facility operated by the PLA Navy.

His words are not empty.

The Peace Ark hospital ship is currently on Mission Harmony 2024, visiting 13 countries, including Seychelles, Tanzania, Madagascar, South Africa, Angola, Cameroon, Djibouti and Sri Lanka, to provide medical services.

This is the 10th Mission Harmony for Peace Ark since its commissioning in 2008.

According to the Defense Ministry, since 2008, the ship has conducted humanitarian medical missions overseas multiple times, visiting 46 countries and regions and serving over 290,000 people, and has seen more than 1,700 operations carried out on board.

Designed as a well-equipped oceangoing clinic, China's first hospital ship, with a displacement of over 10,000 metric tons, boasts 16 departments, eight operating rooms and more than 300 beds.

"We are the most appropriate way of conveying the peace-loving ideals of China's soldiers, by caring for the lives of people worldwide," the 42-year-old captain said. "We are humanitarians and uphold world peace by healing the sick and helping the dying."

In my view, this is a clear distinction between the Chinese military and others: we do not bring war and conflict, but rather, advanced medical technology and care, enabling people around the world to live healthier lives.

As of this year, apart from the Peace Ark, there's another large and domestically designed hospital ship operated by the Chinese Navy — the Silk Road Ark.

The Silk Road Ark, which is more advanced than the Peace Ark, made its public debut in July, conducting medical visits and services on 18 islands and reefs in the South China Sea and along the southern coast of China, providing medical services to over 3,500 people.

Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Wu Qian said in August that in the future, the Silk Road Ark will also carry out international humanitarian medical missions and engage in foreign military medical exchanges and cooperation.

He said the Chinese Navy will actively implement the concept of building a maritime community with a shared future, providing more public security goods to the international community.

What is a community with a shared future? In my opinion, it is that people in every country are able to enjoy a good life, rather than just those in a certain few countries being well.

Last month, the Peace Ark hospital ship made its first visit to Cameroon.

During the seven-day visit, Chinese medical personnel provided services to over 6,800 people, conducted nearly 3,000 auxiliary examinations and tests, and performed 126 surgeries, including cataract removal and uterine fibroid extraction, according to the Chinese military.

Additionally, the crew of the Peace Ark held a friendly soccer match with Cameroonian military personnel.

I saw their group photos in Captain Deng's WeChat posts. Everyone in the photos was smiling happily.

Seeing their infectious smiles, I better understand why the acronym PLA for the People's Liberation Army also stands for a "peace-loving army".