More than 10,000 People’s Liberation Army airmen, marines and sailors boarded 48 naval vessels and 76 aircraft for a major show of force with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the South China Sea on Thursday.
During his rallying cry for loyalty and devotion, the Communist Party leader was greeted by a resounding chorus of platitudes from soldiers in front of the TV cameras.
Xi has displayed a strong penchant for military fanfare. So, when rumors of a giant sea parade started to swirl on the sidelines of the Boao Forum in the southern resort island of Hainan earlier this week, observers noted that the event would be orchestrated for a mostly domestic audience to showcase what the Chinese navy has achieved since Xi took power in 2012.
Yet the scale of the parade, held after a three-day drill in waters off the port city of Sanya, was beyond expectations, with the best of the Chinese Navy on show, including many vessels commissioned within the past six years.
Chinese papers said the number of vessels assembled was “the largest of its kind in 600 years”, following fleet admiral Zheng He’s expeditions to Southeast Asia and further afield during the Ming dynasty era.
Xi did not set foot on the aircraft carrier Liaoning, a refurbished vessel originally from Ukraine (and a relative minnow compared to US nuclear carriers). But he boarded the 7,623-ton Changsha, a guided missile destroyer commissioned in 2015, which is a Chinese version of the Aegis loaded with “next-generation” sea-land-air attack capabilities like vertical missile launchpads, plus data link and command systems.
Five destroyers of this class have joined the PLA surface force and eight more are in the pipeline.
Xinhua said Xi, on a dais on the Changsha‘s bridge, reviewed seven naval battle groups tasked with amphibious offensives, anti-carrier and anti-submarine strikes, underwater assaults, offshore defense and logistic supply. Ten PLA Air Force groups also few past the Changsha while displaying reconnaissance, early-warning, air-sea strike capacity.
Nuclear subs grab limelight
Modern nuclear submarines stole much of the limelight from the Liaoning when they led the big line-up of vessels to start the parade.
This was the media debut for the 094A strategic subs, which are armed with 12 intercontinental ballistic missiles, each with an estimated range of 7,400 kilometers, giving the PLA “its first credible sea-based nuclear strike capability”.
There were also Type 093B attack submarines, equipped with vertical missile launchpads, which are much quieter than their predecessors. (A 093B sub was spotted by the Japanese Navy near the disputed Senkaku or Diaoyu Island in January).
Macau-based military commentator Antony Wong told Hong Kong’s Ming Pao Daily the Chinese admirals had scrambled all of their cutting-edge ships and wares for Xi to review, other than the second carrier still being built and the 10,000-ton Type 055 destroyers yet to be fitted-out.
Meanwhile, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen is scheduled to inspect troops at a naval base in the northeast county of Yilan today. She is expected to board a warship to preside over a passing-out ceremony and have a cruise in nearby waters. A Defense Ministry spokesperson denied that Tsai’s inspection had anything to do with the PLA parade.
The PLA also announced a live-fire exercise will be conducted in the Taiwan Strait from 8am to midnight next Wednesday, in a zone 20km from the coast of Quanzhou in Fujian Province, and 40km from the Taiwan-controlled island of Kinmen.
Pretty sure that China has much more than 76 naval vessels!
Generally all the Chinese people and soldiers believe that the waters within their 9 dash line in the South China Sea is a Chinese territory. The soldiers are expected to defend such a territory. It is a national policy of China not to lose one inch of Chinese territory. I wonder such a policy might have violated China’s own internal law, Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone, promulgated on February 25, 1992. Article 3 of the law says that China’s territorial sea is only 12 nautical mile wide, while the Chinese territory defined by their 9 dash line might reach to about 1000 nautical miles. 12 vs 1000. It is a big violation of China’s own law.
The issue is not how large or modern China’s nay has become but how it will be employed (global or territorial, defence or offence, support or restrict freedom of the seas). China’s lack of experience as a global maritime power would suggest caution but time will tell
All that to intiminated little Taiwan?
Where did you go to school?
Javier Saez : Wu has been employed as a surrogate by China. Good paying job!
China said, south china sea is for china because the name china is in south china sea????????????????how about the indian ocean is that for indians because the is in thier?????????
Someone’s been reading Roosevelt and Mahan in translation.
China’s answer to Trump’s parade. Whose is bigger?
I am glad to see dialogue is alive and well. Churchill said "jaw jaw is better than war war", keep it up guys we are on this great planet Earth together.
They had bigger ones. . ghengis khan hired chinese mercs to attack japan in the 1660s and the ships got tossed in the wind killing all 150,000 people. they tried again a few years later and the same thing happened. they landed at hakata bay and found a 6 foot wall aroound the perimeter of the bay. There is a tomb with 6 of kahns ambassadors buried there in japan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongol_invasions_of_Japan 1274 and 1281 sorry had the date wrong
Correcting one’s self; sign of integrity.
Javier Saez go to https://www.sinodefenceforum.com/navy.f9/ and u will get a more sober analysis. The key contributor there is from US. In a global war, of course China cannot compete but then China is only interested in the region. This month they will start sea trials for the 2nd aircraft carrier. Their biggest warship (type 55) will also go on sea trials soon with 4 others being built.Now with land based defenses nearby and the more advanced anti-ship missiles, cramming the US Navy in that little space, would negate their advantage. In the same way, US cannot afford to concentrate their navy in one area, dont forget the world domination needs. I think in the long term, US could be bankrupted to keep up with the Chinese Navy just like US bankrupted the Russians. Its the economy really.
Y’all sound like children!
You war mongerers, you’ve think war is a toy for the big boy’s. In case of a nuclear holocaust your country will be wipe out, even the birds and the bees will not survive.
DONT JUST SPEAK AND SPEAK! IF CHINA REALLY STRONG, FACE THE U.S., TAKE TAIWAN! YOU ALL PEOPLE ARE ALL TALKATIVE, GOOD ONLY IN SPEAKING BUT DONRT HAVE BALLS! YOU ALL LIKE WOMEN! CHINA HAS NO MATCH AGAINTS AMERICA
Javier Saez And you like an old shrivelled and jealous old woman
How about friends if India claims that part of the sea near to it as Indian ocean
Zheng He’s maritime expidition or voyage is a hoax, period. According to Chinese believers, Zheng had more than a 1000 huge ships, which existed only when Zheng went to sea, and which disappeared when Zheng stopped going to sea. Disappeared with Zheng’s huge ships is China’s shipbuilding industry and technology. After Zheng, China only could build tiny ships for almost 600 hundred years until the 2000s.
Jeff Creighton i confused that invasion with the Japanese expeditions into korea in the late 16th century. I think Kublai Khan sent the Chinese and korean mercenaries in the giant fleet over turned by the KamiKaze winds. You can’t blame the Chinese govt for wanting to exert it’s naval forces after years of abuse by colonial powers. The UK forced trade into China at gunpoint including thousands of chests of opium. The UK forced 18 m pounds in war reparations after the 2 opium wars and created millions of addicts in china. The UK then took colonies like Hong Kong until the year 1997 as part of the treaty to settle the loss of the opium wars.
china is not as yet capable to fight with USA. better to leave the rivalty now and prepare themselves to alone fight with the counterpart. have you seen the role of russia in syria the best friend. They are not true friend in need. self help is the best strategy. Thanks.
Yes, it helped me remember the event of February 2, 1421 — the Chinese New Years day , when China launched a massive demonastration of China’s naval power- that was rare in those days.
Should the Chinese Navy opt to take on the USN, the former will live a very exciting short life.