Multinational drill to be held in East China port city

Willie Padan, commander of the Brunei patrol ship Darulehsan, receives flowers upon his arrival in Qingdao, East China's Shandong province, April 20. The frigate, the first Brunei vessel to visit China, will participate in a joint drill along with another six countries on April 23. A total of seven vessels arrived on Sunday morning ahead of the 14th annual meeting of the Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS), which the PLA's navy is expected to launch on April 22. This is the first time that China has hosted the event, which was first held in 1987 as a forum where naval officers of Pacific countries can meet biennially to discuss initiatives to address regional and global maritime issues. [Photo by Peng Yining/China Daily]