Why won’t Chile let China’s Silk Road Ark military hospital ship give medical aid?

byVerified News Online

AdvertisementChina-Latin America relationsChinaDiplomacyWhy won’t Chile let China’s Silk Road Ark military hospital ship give medical aid?

The vessel has sailed into Valparaiso’s waters as the geopolitical winds shift in the western hemisphere

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The Silk Road Ark is on a 220-day trip to Latin America. Photo: CCTV

Laura ZhouThe Chilean government has turned down a request from a Chinese military hospital ship to treat Chilean residents on board the vessel.The decision reflects Santiago’s tilt towards Washington and US efforts to exert more influence in the western hemisphere, according to a Chinese academic.

The Chilean Ministry of Health said on Friday that it had reviewed the Silk Road Ark’s request and decided not to grant it, citing a health code that restricts such services to professionals accredited ‌in the country, Reuters reported.

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“We ⁠determined that ⁠it is not appropriate to authorise this health operation to function on the ship’s facilities,” ‌the ministry said.

The Silk Road Ark is a Chinese naval ship equipped with 14 clinical departments, seven diagnostic units and a rescue helicopter.

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It is a symbol of China’s soft power and has been on a 220-day voyage to about a dozen countries in the western hemisphere since late December, arriving in waters off the Chilean port city of ⁠Valparaiso on Wednesday.

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