He vessel Union sailing school arrived today at the military port of Wusong, in the eastern megalopolis China of Shanghai, on its trip around the world that began last June 17 to commemorate the circumnavigation carried out by the frigate Amazonas in 1856.
“Each of the trips (that the Union has made so far) is very significant; In each one he visited different destinations in which he could bring Peruvianness, he could carry the national flag and he could carry the essence of everything Peruvian”the ship’s commander, José Luis Arce Corzo, explained to the media.
“Just as Spain sees Juan Sebastián Elcano, Peru sees Unión”he added.
The ship captain also wanted to highlight that the ship was built in Peru: “The Unión is a ship made by Peruvians, by Peruvian hands, with Peruvian expertise, in the SIMA Peru (shipyard). (…) This ship, without a doubt, is a strong expression of the shipbuilding capacity that our country has.”
The Peruvian ambassador to China, Marco Balarezo, described the ship as a “projection of Peru”: “It’s very important. Once the ship sets sail, it is taking Peru to the different countries where it arrives.”
His four-day stay in Shanghai will lead to the organization of events to promote Peru’s trade and culture in the Asian country, including a fashion show to showcase alpaca wool products and a seminar on “superfoods” Peruvians in which both chefs from the Andean country and Chinese will participate.
Likewise, it will serve to commemorate the fifty-second anniversary of the establishment of official relations between Peru and China, and the tenth anniversary of the signing of the comprehensive strategic partnership agreement between both countries.
The Peruvian delegation in China also highlighted the promotion of the South American country as a tourist destination as an objective, especially after Beijing included it in the third batch of nations that allows group travel after abandoning the strict national policy of “zero covid” at the beginning of the year.
Around the world until 2024
The largest training ship in Latin America has four masts and 34 sails, and was recently described by Balarezo as the “more modern” region of.
Built between 2014 and 2016 and officially assigned to the Navy of this country in that last year, the Union was designated in 2020 as “official traveling embassy” Peruvian, and has a crew of 249 people on board, who will be joined by two Chinese sailors who will make the journey to Singapore.
The route around the world of the Peruvian navy training ship includes 20 stops in ports in 14 countries and 5 continents, for a total of 34,000 nautical miles in about 10 months.
Its arrival in Shanghai takes place after passing through Tahiti (French Polynesia), Guam (United States), Tokyo and Busan (South Korea).
The Unión is scheduled to set sail on the 22nd, and its next destinations include Singapore, Bombay (India), Alexandria (Egypt), Civitavecchia and La Spezia (Italy), Málaga and Cádiz (Spain), Miami (USA). or the Panama Canal, until its planned return to the Port of Callao (Peru) in April 2024.
Source: EFE
Source: Gestion
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