Chinese navy hospital ship heads to Pacific to show military’s ‘peaceful development’

Peace Ark’s medical personnel will provide free services during stops in Kiribati, the Solomons, Tonga, Vanuatu and East Timor
Navy says the mission is a ‘pragmatic initiative’ aimed at shoring up ties in the region and promoting China’s ‘fine’ culture

China’s military

Jack Lau

Published: 7:00pm, 3 Jul 2023

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A Chinese navy hospital ship is sailing to Kiribati and the Solomons for the first time since the Pacific island nations switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing in 2019.

The Peace Ark left its home port of Zhoushan in Zhejiang province on Monday with 126 medical personnel on board. They will provide free medical services in the two nations, as well as in Tonga, Vanuatu and East Timor, the navy said on the WeChat social network.

Taiwan cut ties with Kiribati and the Solomon Islands within a week in September 2019 after they decided to recognise Beijing, which has sought to diplomatically isolate the self-ruled island that it claims as its own. Taiwan has just 13 diplomatic allies left – mostly in Latin America and the Pacific.

The Peace Ark will visit Kiribati, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu and East Timor. Photo: Weibo

According to the navy, the Peace Ark’s mission is a “pragmatic initiative” aimed at shoring up China’s ties with countries in the South Pacific. It also aims to promote the “peaceful development of the Chinese military” and China’s “fine” culture, and is part of President Xi Jinping’s strategy to strengthen the People’s Liberation Army.

The Peace Ark’s latest voyage is the ninth in a series of “Mission Harmony” operations that began in 2010. It has provided hospital services to countries in Africa, the Caribbean, South America, South Asia and Southeast Asia.

The hospital ship has 26 clinical departments and equipment such as an endoscope to obtain images of internal organs and devices to perform cataract surgery, the navy said.

These will allow the medics on board – mostly from the Naval Medical University in Shanghai – to perform more than 40 types of medical exams and operations, including gynaecological and orthopaedic, in the seven days when the ship is berthed at each of the five Pacific nations.

“The Peace Ark will provide free diagnosis and treatment of common diseases for the local people, Chinese personnel there, local residents of Chinese descent, overseas Chinese nationals and other groups,” the navy said. “High-level visits, on-deck receptions, and cultural and sports exchanges will also be held.”

The ship is commanded by Rear Admiral Zhao Guangqing of the East Sea Fleet’s support department, and Rear Admiral Li Xinke from the fleet’s political work department, whose task it is to burnish the image of the PLA.

Since 2010, the ship has provided hospital services to countries in Africa, the Caribbean, South America, South Asia and Southeast Asia. Photo: Reuters

China signed a security agreement with the Solomon Islands in 2022 that allows Chinese naval ships to make port visits to resupply, and Chinese police to train the Solomons police force. The pact has alarmed the United States and allies such as Australia, which has traditionally played the role of keeping peace in the Solomons.

Richard Marles, Australia’s deputy prime minister and defence minister, met Solomons Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare last week in the Pacific nation, after which Sogavare’s office said there was a need to review the Australia-Solomons security treaty in light of “the changing security challenges faced by both countries”.

As US sees future in Pacific islands, has China ‘overplayed its hand’?

In the past few years, the southwestern Pacific has emerged as another theatre of US-China rivalry. In Kiribati and the Solomons, Beijing-friendly forces and those sympathetic to Taiwan – which the US classifies as a “major non-Nato ally” – are divided along party lines. After they broke ties with Taiwan, Beijing increased investment in both countries’ infrastructure.

Papua New Guinea meanwhile agreed in May to give US troops “unimpeded access” to sites including military bases and seaports, allowing them to reinforce bases in the second island chain, which includes the US territory of Guam.