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

The Chilean government has turned down a request from a Chinese military hospital ship to treat Chilean residents on board the vessel.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.“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.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.