Draft:Mission Harmony



Mission Harmony is a series of humanitarian missions carried out by the Chinese navy since 2010. The hospital ship Peace Ark sails nearly every year to countries in the Global South to provide free medical services and hold cultural exchange events aimed at improving the image of China and the People's Liberation Army (PLA). Most sailors were selected from the PLA Naval Medical University in Shanghai.

As of 2023, nine missions have taken place. The latest was in July 2023 to Kiribati, Tonga, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and East Timor.

Missions
The first Mission Harmony in 2010 was the first time a Chinese hospital ship had been sent to provide medical services outside China.

The Peace Ark departed from China on August 31 equipped with eight operating rooms and 300 beds. It provided medical services to Chinese naval officers on anti-piracy missions in the Gulf of Aden and to local people of Djibouti, Kenya, Tanzania, Seychelles, and Bangladesh. In total, it provided health examinations to 2,127 people, received 12,806 outpatients, visited 1,858 patients, and carried out 97 operations. Admiral Wu Shengli said the mission promoted China's image as a "responsible major power that proactively pursues its international obligations."

2013
The ship sailed 21,000 nautical miles in 125 days from June 10, 2013 to October 12, 2014.

2020s
In 2022, the Peace Ark left Zhoushan on November 2 with 111 doctors and nurses, and returned to port on November 29 after visiting Jakarta.

A total of 13,488 appointments (with an average of nearly 2,000) and 37 operations took place over seven days in Jakarta. For the first time, the ship was equipped with devices used for magnet-controlled capsule endoscopy, handheld endoscopes and general anesthesia specifically designed to be used on vessels. Medical personnel established 14 clinical and three auxiliary departments, and a pharmacy.

Doctors on the Peace Ark also promoted traditional Chinese medicine to officers of the Indonesian Ministry of Health, including acupuncture and moxibustion.

The 2023 Mission Harmony focused on the Pacific island nations of Kiribati, Tonga, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste. The Peace Ark remained at each country for seven days, and attended to patients 41,358 times and conducted 192 surgeries. It left Zhoushan on July 3 and entered the Pacific Ocean through the Miyako Strait. The crew also distributed medical supplies by helicopter and small boats. The ship returned to the port on September 19.