Chinese sailors wave goodbye to their Egyptian counterparts after a joint exercise on August 19, 2024. Photo: Screenshot from WeChat account of the PLA Navy

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy recently held a joint naval exercise with the Egyptian Navy in the Mediterranean Sea, with observers on Wednesday highlighting the PLA Navy's strides toward blue water operations and the deepening of friendships with its foreign counterparts.

After completing a five-day friendly visit to Egypt, the Type 052D guided missile destroyer Jiaozuo and the Type 903A comprehensive replenishment ship Honghu of the PLA Navy's 46th escort task group embarked from the Egyptian port city Alexandria on Monday local time and held a joint maritime exercise in the Mediterranean Sea with the Egyptian side, the PLA Navy said in a press release on Wednesday.

The joint exercise took place in waters to the north of Alexandria, as the Jiaozuo and the Honghu joined forces with the Egyptian Navy's FREMM multipurpose frigate Al-Galala and carried out training courses including communications coordination, formation maneuvering and maritime replenishment positioning, the PLA Navy said.

During the drill, the two navies' ships took turn to command in close coordination, and successfully completed all scheduled trainings before holding a flotilla separation ceremony, according to the PLA Navy.

During the Chinese warships' visit in Alexandria from August 15 to Monday, sailors from the two sides visited each other's vessels and took part in activities including professional exchanges and soccer friendly matches, as the visit significantly promoted exchanges between the two navies and deepened friendship between the two countries, the PLA Navy said.

Before visiting Egypt, the two Chinese naval vessels visited St. Petersburg in celebration of Russia's navy day, after which they held a joint exercise with the Russian Navy in the Gulf of Finland in late July, according to the PLA Navy.

The PLA Navy vessels' consecutive visits to Russia and Egypt and joint drills with them show deep friendships and high levels of pragmatic cooperation, a Chinese military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Observers noted the long distance the Chinese warships have sailed. The 46th escort task group set out from South China's Guangdong Province in February and conducted escort missions in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia, before sailing all the way to St. Petersburg and then Alexandria on the return voyage.

It reflects that the PLA Navy is capable of operating in distant waters for extended periods, the expert said, highlighting the PLA Navy's progress in its pursuit of building a blue-water navy.