A training ship belonging to the Chinese navy, the Qi Jiguang, will make a port call in Timor-Leste during a two-month training voyage it begun on Friday, the China News Service (CNS) reports.

The Chinese state-run news agency says that the crew of 517, including cadets, will visit Timorese ships, academies and training facilities when in Timor-Leste.

The report says the Qi Jiguang will be open to the Timorese public for a day, and that its crew will hold a reception on board and engage in cultural and sporting activities with their Timorese hosts, to enhance bilateral ties.

Its voyage will also take the Qi Jiguang through the Timor Sea, to Brunei, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and Fiji, and give the cadets instruction in 27 aspects of seamanship such as terrestrial navigation, celestial navigation and marine hydrometeorology, CNS says.