Two Chinese warships arrived at a U.S. naval base in San Diego on Monday morning, marking the first visit of the Chinese navy to the U.S. mainland port in nine years.

When the fleet, composed of the missile destroyer Qingdao and auxiliary ship Hongzehu, cruised into San Diego port, hundreds of Chinese naval officers and sailors in white uniforms with blue neckerchiefs stood proudly in line at the rails.

At the receiving ceremony, Rear Admiral Len Hering, commander of U.S. Navy Southwest Region, said more exchanges and cooperation between the U.S. and Chinese navies would help maintain peace in the Pacific region.

"The U.S. navy and Chinese navy, both have the duty to keep peace and stability in this region," Hering said. "We hope this visit will help us better understand each other."

Hering's remarks were echoed by Wang Fushan, rear admiral and deputy commander of the Chinese Navy North Sea Fleet, who was impressed by the hospitality of the U.S. side.

"As soon as we arrived, we received a warm welcome," Wang said, "On behalf of Chinese people and the People's Liberation Army, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks for your hospitality."

"Also, our officers and sailors are deeply impressed by the professional level that the U.S. navy has shown," he added.

Several hundred Chinese and Chinese-Americans cheered and waved the national flags of the two nations on Monday morning on a pier at San Diego Naval Base.

The Chinese fleet is scheduled to participate in a joint search-and-rescue drill with the U.S. navy off the California coast, according to the naval officers.

The two warships arrived in San Diego from Hawaii, and it was the second time ever and the first time since 1997 that Chinese naval warships had visited the San Diego base, a major base of the U.S. navy's Pacific Fleet.

In recent years, relations between the two armed forces have been improving with exchanges of high-level military visits.

Source: Xinhua