BEIJING, July 22 (Xinhua) -- The French missile escort vessel "F734 Vendemiaire" arrived in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, on Tuesday for a five-day goodwill visit.

The vessel's commander Thierry Arnoult met with Wang Biao, vice chief of staff, at a naval base of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in Guangdong Province.

Arnoult said the naval forces of both countries shared many common opinions and standpoints. He hoped the visit would promote the cooperation between the two navies.

Wang said exchanges between the two navies, especially the warship visits and the joint military exercises, had greatly promoted the development of the relationship.

During the visit, sailors from the two sides will visit each other's warships, conduct fire drills, hold football games and carry out joint military exercises at sea.

This was the fourth time a French warship had visited Guangzhou since the first visit in November 2001.