Peace Ark carries cargo of goodwill (3)

A patient boards Peace Ark in Fiji for medical attention in 2014. [Photo by JU ZHENHUA/FOR CHINA DAILY]

Now 9 years old, the girl has become a symbol of the friendship between China and Bangladesh, and she always asks her parents to bring her along to visit Chinese naval ships whenever they dock at the port of Chattogram, aka Chittagong, to show her appreciation.

In August 2013 and May 2017, Chin met with her "Chinese moms", Wang Fang and Sheng Ruifang, the nurse and anesthesiologist when she was born, as Wang and Sheng visited Bangladesh with the PLA Navy.

During Mission Harmony 2018, a team from Peace Ark provided free medical services to residents of Vatulele, a coral island in Fiji, about 100 km from the capital Suva, in August of that year.

During the eight-day goodwill visit, more than 6,500 patients were treated, with the Chinese medical professionals providing everything from basic consultations to surgical procedures.

"It was really unexpected when the Chinese military doctors landed from the sky," said Ratu, a tribal chief on Vatulele, recalling how the team landed in a naval helicopter on a school playground.

"When we learned that our government was arranging for the Chinese doctors to deliver medical services to the island, the villagers danced and sang like they were at a traditional festival."

The medical team used portable ultrasound and electrocardiogram equipment, and deployed specialists in ophthalmology, dentistry, orthopedics, internal medicine and surgery to provide the most-needed services.

Ratu said there are four villages on the island, but there is only one health center, which is manned by a doctor and a nurse.

After the Chinese doctors arrived, the health center became jammed with patients. Local doctor Filomena joined the medical team members to prepare the consultation and treatment site.