CHINA BOASTS MARITIME STRENGTH IN PLA NAVY’S 70TH ANNIVERSARY PARADE (VIDEOS, PHOTOS)

Click to see full-size image

On April 23rd, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy celebrated its 70th anniversary in a massive event.

The event took place at Qingdao, in east China’s Shandong Province.

More than 60 countries sent delegations to take part in the naval parade, more than 30 of them sent major naval leaders, such as Admiral Jose Luis Villan of Argentina, Fijian navy commander Humphrey Tawake among others.

The parade featured 32 Chinese vessels and 39 aircraft, as well as warships from 13 foreign countries including India, Japan, Vietnam and Australia.

The US sent a low-level delegation to Qingdao, led by the naval attache at its Beijing embassy, and no ships.

Russia sent its Navy’s frigate Admiral Gorshkov.

The Indian Navy sent its frontline destroyer the INS Kolkata.

The Royal Australian Navy sent its frigate HMAS Melbourne. The Royal Thai Navy sent its frigate HTMS Bangpakong.

Notably, China presented two new significant weapons: its brand-new Type 055 stealth destroyer Nanchang and its Type 094 Jin-class nuclear-powered submarine.

Type 055 stealth destroyer Nanchang. Click to see full-size image

The Type 055 stealth destroyer Nanchang is armed with 112 vertical-launch cells with the ability to fire HHQ-9 surface-to-air missiles, YJ-18 anti-ship cruise missiles, and CJ-10 land-attack cruise missiles. The main gun is a H/PJ-38 130-mm gun, but there are reports that this vessel could eventually be equipped with a railgun. The vessel uses X- and S-band radars, allowing it to track stealthy objects of various sizes.

The destroyer first debuted in 2017, and started sea trials in August 2018. Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military analyst, told the Global Times that the public debut at the fleet review indicated that the vessel was now combat-ready.

The other new weapon, the Type 094 Jin-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine also made its appearance.

The Jin-class carries a total of 12 JL-2 (Western reporting name CSS-N-5 or Sabbot) submarine-launched intercontinental ballistic missiles. The JL-2 missile has an estimated maximum range of around 7 400-8 000 km.

Jin-class Type 094 nuclear-powered ballsitic submarine. Click to see full-size image

Expectedly, the event was overseen by Chinese President Xi Jinping. In his remarks, Xi said that the navies of the world should work together to protect maritime peace and order.

“The Chinese people love and long for peace, and will unswervingly follow the path of peaceful development,” Xi said.

“Everyone should respect each other, treat each other as equals, enhance mutual trust, strengthen maritime dialogue and exchanges, and deepen pragmatic cooperation between navies. There must be more discussions and consultations between countries, and there cannot be resorts to force or threats of force at the slightest pretext. All countries should adhere to equal consultations, improve crisis communication mechanisms, strengthen regional security cooperation, and promote the proper settlement of maritime-related disputes.”

Following are photographs of the Chinese navy’s warships and submarines that appeared at the parade: