Saving lives

Naval diplomacy doesn't always include steel and might, because treating illnesses and saving lives are also key components of the PLA Navy's service to the world.

In December, the hospital ship CNS Daishandao, aka Peace Ark, concluded its seventh multination voyage to provide medical services.

All the doctors and nurses were veterans from the PLA Navy's Second Military Medical University.

They treated more than 50,880 people in 11 countries during the voyage, codenamed Harmony Mission 2018, according to the ministry.

In Fiji, Diana, a 6-year-old girl, dreamed of becoming a ballerina, but her hands and feet had deformities that could not be treated at her local hospital. When Peace Ark arrived in August, surgeon Yang Chao cured Diana's condition via a two-hour surgery.

"When I grow up, I want to perform ballet in China to thank you," Diana told the crew members.

Rodney Williams, governor-general of Antigua and Barbuda, told Xinhua that Peace Ark had brought health, happiness and hope to the people of the islands.

Those actions are the true embodiment of China building a community with a shared future for mankind, he said.