Navy Ships Complete 1st Round-the-World Trip

Greeted by jubilant crowds and traditional lion dancers, two naval ships returned to the port of Qingdao after completing China’s first round-the-world military cruise.

The guided missile destroyer Qingdao and its support ship left May 15 on the trip, which took them to a dozen countries, including the U.S. and Russia, and through the Panama Canal.

Rear Adm. Ding Yiping said it was meant to show off China’s “powerful and civilized” navy and outward-looking policies “on a trip of peace and friendship.”