ABOARD GUANGZHOU DESTROYER, Atlantic -- Two Chinese naval vessels on Monday conducted a first ever joint exercise with British aircraft carrier Ark Royal in the Atlantic sea near the southern British port city of Portsmouth.

Sailors onboard the Chinese guided missile destroyer, Guangzhou, attend a farewell ceremony after a joint exercise with British aircraft carrier Ark Royal in the Atlantic sea near Portsmouth, Sept. 10, 2007. Supply ship Weishanhu also participated. [Xinhua]

The two Chinese naval vessels are the guided missile destroyer Guangzhou and the supply ship Weishanhu. This is the first time that Chinese naval vessels have conducted a joint exercise with an aircraft carrier and their first exercise in the Atlantic sea.

The exercise covered communication operations, including light communications and ultra-high frequency telecommunication, change of formations, joint fleet formations search, and search and rescue of damaged ships.

The exercise was conducted under the following scenario: a naval vessel from country G caught fire on the sea; under the request of country G, Chinese and British naval vessels go to search for the vessel and for any survivors.

This is the second time that Chinese warships have visited Britain since September 2001, and it is the second leg of their 87-day voyage that has already taken them to St. Petersburg, Russia, and will also take them to Spain and France.