ZHANJIANG, Guangdong: A Japanese navy ship arrived at the Zhanjiang military port yesterday - the first by a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (SDF) vessel to China.

Shenzhen, a missile destroyer and the first Chinese navy ship to visit Tokyo last November, lead the Japanese ship Sazanami, into port.

Xiao Xinnian, deputy commander of the South China Sea Fleet (SCSF), and commanding officer of the Shenzhen during the Tokyo trip, applauded the long-expected arrival of the Japanese ship.