Article Posted on : - Apr 23, 2014

BEIJING (PTI): The Indian Navy's stealth frigate, INS Shivalik, drew large crowds at the Chinese port of Qingdao when it was opened for public viewing on Tuesday while several dignitaries including the top brass of the PLA Navy attended a reception hosted on its deck.

Over 1,500 people visited the ship on Tuesday that included 400 cadets of the Chinese navy, Indian Ambassador to China, Ashok K Kantha who also hosted a reception on its deck told PTI here.

It was an excellent response both from the public and local officials, Kantha said.

The reception was attended by Chief of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, Wu Shengli, Chief of staff of Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force, Katsutoshi Kawano and heads of delegations of several countries attending the biennial conference of the Western Pacific Naval Symposium, (WPNS) who also took part in the reception.

INS Shivalik is in Qingdao to take part in the 65th anniversary celebrations of the PLA Navy.

It will take part in the joint naval exercises along naval ships of China and Pakistan besides five other countries off the coast of Qingdao tomorrow to mark the occasion.

The WPNS meet is also being organised on the sidelines of the PLA Navy celebrations.

Earlier, Ambassador Kantha met Li Qun, the ruling Communist Party of China's (CPC) Qingdao Party Secretary.

Li stressed the need for China and India to enhance cooperation in the fields of trade, commerce, culture, tourism and people-to-people contacts.

He said that Qingdao is keen to partner with India in a wide variety of areas during the 2014 India-China Year of Friendly Exchanges.

In this regards, Li welcomed the holding of a film festival, a food festival and a business event in Qingdao in July as part of the "Glimpses of India" festival and conveyed his support for the same, an Indian Embassy release here said.

Kantha invited more Qingdao-based companies to invest in India, including by utilising opportunities for setting up industrial parks in India.