Type 680 training ship

*Qi Jiguang*
	Qi Jiguang in Brunei, 2019
History
China
Name	Qi Jiguang ; (戚继光舰);
Namesake	Qi Jiguang
Builder	Liaonan Shipyard, Dalian
Completed	November 2016
Commissioned	21 February 2017
In service	2017-Present
Homeport	Dalian, Liaoning
Identification	Pennant number: AX-83
Nickname(s)	NATO reporting name Dadu
Status	Active
General characteristics
Type	Training ship
Displacement	9000 t
Length	163 m (535 ft)
Beam	22 m (72 ft)
Propulsion	2 SEMT-Pielstick diesels, 2 shafts, 7,200 bhp
Speed	22 kn
Range	10,000 nmi
Boats & landing ; craft carried	2 x multi-purpose boats 2 x life boats
Complement	Crew: 450; Instructors: 50; Cadets: 400
Armament	1 x 76 mm single H/PJ-26 2 x 30 mm H/PJ-17
Aircraft carried	1 Changhe Z-8

The Type 680 training ship with NATO reporting name Dadu,^[1]^[2]^[3] otherwise known as Qi Jiguang is a training ship of the People's Liberation Army Navy.^[1]^[2]^[3] It joined the PLA Navy on 21 February 2017.^[4]

Construction and career

The type 680 engaged in a number of training voyages around the Indo-Pacific Region in 2019, notably visiting Wellington in New Zealand between 22 and 26 October. Rear Admiral Yu Wenbing invited various New Zealanders to a courtesy reception scheduled for 29 October 2019. Victoria University of Wellington staff discussed whether it was appropriate to attend the reception; in the event, Assistant Vice-Chancellor Rebecca Needham, a former director of the VUW Confucius Institute, attended the event, along with several staff members of the university's Confucius Institute attended.^[5] The New Zealand Defence Force said the visit had been arranged through normal diplomatic channels.

2024 stopover in Penang

In October 2024, the Type 680 and the amphibious vessel Jinggang Shan docked at Swettenham Pier in George Town, the capital city of the Malaysian state of Penang. During the stopover, the crew paid a courtesy call on the speaker of the Penang legislature Law Choo Kiang and toured the Penang State Assembly Building.^[6]^[7] Some of the crew also visited the Chung Ling Private High School, where they received a "friendly" reception to mark the 50th anniversary of China's diplomatic ties with Malaysia. After the visit, the two ships proceeded to Chittagong, Bangladesh.^[6]

The stopover led to criticism from Malaysia's right-wing Islamist opposition, led by the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), which accused the Anwar Ibrahim administration of compromising Malaysia's national sovereignty.^[8] The school lodged a police report against malicious social media content, while Penang state executive councillor Wong Hon Wai clarified that the crew who visited the school were tertiary students and not navy personnel.^[7]^[9] Some analysts have suggested that PAS intended to exploit the stopover to stir racial tensions and intimidate the country's Chinese minority by insinuating that China was collaborating with the Chinese community in Penang, the only Malaysian state continuously governed by ethnic Chinese since independence.^[8]