A PLA Navy carrier battle group sails in formation. MO XIAOLIANG/FOR CHINA DAILY

Humanitarian actions win praise as the force celebrates its 70th birthday. Zhang Zhihao reports.

In May 2002, vessels from the People's Liberation Army Navy embarked on the force's first round-the-world voyage, opening a new chapter in its global outreach and cooperation.

Having set sail from a base in Qingdao, Shandong province, guided-missile destroyer CNS Qingdao and supply ship CNS Taicang visited 10 countries, from Singapore to Brazil. The voyage lasted four months and covered more than 30,000 nautical miles (55,560 kilometers), according to records from the Ministry of National Defense.

Long-distance voyages are often regarded as coming-of-age experiences for navies capable of such feats. The 2002 voyage represented a major upgrade of the PLA Navy's operational abilities in far-flung oceans since it began visiting neighboring countries in 1985.

Major General Ding Yiping, commander of the fleet for the 2002 world tour, told Xinhua News Agency that port calls by warships and goodwill visits are a special kind of peacetime diplomacy.

Such visits are also a key way of helping to modernize the PLA Navy and improve mutual exchanges, understanding and friendship between the navies of China and foreign powers, according to Ding.

"The tour showcased China's resolve to maintain world peace, and demonstrated that the PLA Navy is a mighty, civilized and peaceful military force," he said.

Making impressions

As the ships made their way from port to port, military officials from host countries were pleasantly surprised to board the vessels and witness their activities firsthand, according to media reports.

Admiral Mykhailo Yezhel, thencommander of the Ukrainian navy, was particularly fascinated by the cooks onboard the Chinese ships, one of whom had made an elaborate sculpture using carrots and white radishes.

Yezhel hoped that cook would be able to stay in Ukraine a little longer, but the Chinese sailors could only stay two days, so the request was politely declined.

Before the Chinese sailors departed for their next destination, Yezhel held Ding's hands and said, "Thank you for letting me know the real Chinese navy and the real China."

Seventeen years have passed since that eventful world tour, and the PLA Navy is bigger and stronger, and no longer needs savvy cooks to make an impression.

As the force celebrates its 70th anniversary on Tuesday, the records show that thousands of sailors along with flotillas of warships have sailed far from China's coastal waters to protect distant sea lanes, uphold peace in conflict zones and safeguard Chinese interests overseas.

Dec 26 marked the 10th anniversary of the PLA Navy's first escort mission in the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia. In that decade, China has sent more than 100 ships and 26,000 personnel to the region and helped to escort about 6,600 vessels, half of which were registered overseas or carrying cargo for the UN World Food Programme.

Senior Colonel Liang Fang, a professor at the PLA National Defense University, said that in 2009, 48 percent of global pirate attacks occurred in the areas where Chinese naval escorts were present, but by 2017, the figure had fallen to just 4 percent.

Force for peace

However, while many nations have praised the PLA Navy's efforts, some have perceived its foreign operations as China flexing its military muscle overseas, especially with the growth in the country's naval capability and the opening of its first overseas logistics base in Djibouti in 2017.

Liang said this notion is "biased and showcases a lack of trust and understanding of the PLA". She said the Djibouti base provides logistical support for the navy to effectively conduct escort missions in the area.

"The PLA does not seek hegemony, military expansion or to meddle in other nations' affairs," she added.

In addition to serving the public, the PLA Navy is at the forefront of international exchanges and cooperation for the Chinese military.

By 2017, PLA Navy vessels had sailed to more than 100 countries, two-thirds of which were visited by an escort task force, according to the Ministry of National Defense.

Lieutenant Colonel Li Wei, a battalion commander in the PLA Navy Marine Corps, told China Central Television that these visits and interactions serve to showcase the military's image and abilities.

"It is a way to gain confidence, and an opportunity to learn from other countries," he said.