BEIJING, June 25 -- At the invitation of the government of Seychelles, the guided-missile destroyer Tangshan (Hull 122) attached to the 48th Chinese PLA naval escort taskforce will visit the country in late June, during which its sailors will participate in the parade celebrating the 50th anniversary of Seychelles' Independence, said Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense (MND), at a regular press briefing on Thursday.

According to the spokesperson, this will be China's first participation in a Seychelles parade, which will further deepen China-Seychelles strategic mutual trust and traditional friendship, and contribute to the building of an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era.