A Chinese flotilla of warships berthed at the southern port city of Bandar Abbas on Thursday to hold a joint drill with the Iranian Navy. The visiting Chinese flotilla comprises the guided-missile destroyer Chang Chun, guided-missile frigate Jin Zhou and Type 903 replenishment ship Chao Hu, Tasnim News Agency reported. The crew members of the Chinese fleet met Iranian officials later in the day. At the end of their four-day visit to Iran, they will hold a joint naval exercise with the Iranian Navy. The Chinese flotilla had earlier called at Pakistan's Karachi Port for a training program before deployment to Iran. Iran's Navy and the People's Liberation Army Navy (Chinese Navy) have increased cooperation in recent years. In September 2014, a Chinese flotilla of warships docked in Bandar Abbas in the Persian Gulf and held a joint naval exercise. A month later, Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari visited China's eastern port city of Qingdao with a high-ranking team and held talks with military officials. In December 2015, members of a high-ranking naval delegation from China visited Iran for talks.
