China unveils its new naval clout

Apr 23, 2009

China unveils its new naval clout
By Wu Zhong

HONG KONG - China will show off its nuclear-powered submarines for the first time in history on Thursday during a fleet parade to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the naval arm of the People's Liberation Army (PLAN).

The display of the country's most advanced submarines, as well as the parade itself which will feature 21 ships from 14 foreign countries including the United States and Russia, shows China's growing confidence in the rapid modernization of its navy.

The largest naval parade in the PLA's history is also a sign that Beijing is attaching increasing importance to the role of the navy, once considered the weakest of the three branches of the PLA. China's deployment of ships to the coast of Somalia to fight pirates at the end of last year is regarded as a strategic change of the PLAN from a near-shore defensive force to a blue-water combat armada.

In an interview with the state-run Xinhua news agency, Vice Admiral Ding Yiping, PLAN's deputy commander, said the nuclear-powered submarines would appear at Thursday's fleet review in the northern port city of Qingdao.

"It is not a secret that China has nuclear submarines, which are key to safeguarding our country's national security," Ding said, adding that the number of China's nuclear submarines was far less than those of the US and Russia.

The 225,000-member PLAN operates up to 10 nuclear-powered submarines and as many as 60 diesel-electric vessels, more than any other Asian country. China's second-generation, nuclear-powered Jin- and Shang-class submarines are considered just a notch below cutting-edge US and Russian crafts.

Speculation has been rife as to whether President Hu Jintao, who will review the fleet parade in his capacity as chairman of the Central Military Commission, will take the opportunity to announce China's plan to build one or more aircraft carriers. A senior PLA official in Beijing said it was unlikely Hu would make the announcement. "It is no longer a secret that China wants to build aircraft carriers. There is no need to make a formal announcement on such things," said the official who declined to be named.

United States chief of naval operations Admiral Gary Roughead downplayed concerns over China's plans for an aircraft carrier but said the US would like to have a better idea about the intentions behind China's naval modernization.

"The advancement and the growth of the PLA Navy is consistent with China's economic advancement and its role in a globalized world. I think it is important, however, that as we create a naval capability, indeed any military capability, that there should be clear communications with regard to what the intentions of that capability are. That's why visits like mine are important," said Roughead during a news conference on Sunday in Beijing.

The high-profile naval display is also a sign of China's confidence in the overall modernization of its military. China has for a long time kept a low profile in regard to its naval buildup, the PLA source said.

Not so long ago, the navy was the weakest branch of the PLA. Ships and weapons were so outdated the Chinese military was reluctant to show them in public, preferring to keep any development top secret. Moreover, China has been concerned that flexing its naval clout could arouse suspicion from neighboring countries, some of which have territorial disputes with China.

But as China's interests spread globally, Beijing needed a strong naval force to protect its "blue water" interests, as exemplified by the need to protect Chinese commercial ships off Somalia, the source said. "So now it's better for China to increase the transparency of its naval development than to continue keeping it a top secret. Anyway, it is hard to keep it secret given modern reconnaissance means," the source said.

Ding Yiping said in his interview with Xinhua that suspicion arises because of misunderstanding, adding that the fleet parade on Thursday was aimed at promoting understanding about China's military rise.

"Suspicions about China being a 'threat' to world security are mostly because of misunderstandings and lack of understandings about China," said Ding. "The suspicions would disappear if foreign counterparts could visit the Chinese navy and know about the true situation."

Ding also said the review would be a platform for foreign navies to enhance mutual understanding. High-level delegations from 29 countries and 21 vessels from 14 countries will attend the review.

Exchanges between naval forces of different countries would enhance trust and cooperation, PLAN Commander Admiral Wu Shengli said on Tuesday in Qingdao at a seminar to mark the four-day celebrations.

Wu said maritime disputes should be resolved in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and that all countries should avoid military competition or conflict. Governments should respect each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity on an equal and mutually beneficial basis, and should not use, or threaten to use, military force in international relations, Wu said.

Wu also urged the world's navies to work together to combat threats such as terrorism and piracy. "It is the obligation of all countries' naval forces to work together to ensure safety on the oceans, and crack down on such unconventional threats," Wu said.

It is interesting that Qingdao has been chosen as the place for the fleet parade. Qingdao is the headquarters of the Beihai Fleet, one of China's three naval fleets. It was in Qingdao that the PLAN set up its first naval aviation school in early 1950s. China's first submarine fleet was also formed in this northern city in 1954.

But just 150 kilometers northeast of Qingdao is Liugong Island at the mouth of Weihai Bay, a well-known historical site often considered as the home of China's "national humiliation".

During the reign of the Guangxu Emperor from 1875 to 1908, the Qing Dynasty founded the Beiyang Fleet as China's first modern navy, considered the best in Asia at that time. A telegraph center, a naval academy and the headquarters of the Beiyang Naval Units were set up on Liugong Island.

But during the First Sino-Japanese War, the Beiyang Fleet suffered a crushing defeat. In the spring of 1895, Liugong Island was occupied by Japanese forces. Ding Ruchang, commander of the Beiyang Fleet, committed suicide. The Japanese occupation lasted for roughly three years before the British bought the territory from the Japanese.

The principal result of the first Sino-Japanese War was a shift in regional dominance from China to Japan. It came as a fatal blow to the Qing Dynasty and Chinese classical tradition.

Military exchange between China and Japan remains a sensitive issue. Hong Kong media reported that China turned down Japan's offer to send ships to participate in the Qingdao fleet review, though the report is not officially confirmed.

One hundred and fourteen years after the defeat of 1895, China's ships will sail with those from other naval powers in the Qingdao fleet review. "This delivers a message that China will never allow its navy to be defeated so easily again," the PLA source said, adding that the Chinese navy will now sail into the world's oceans with a new posture.

The PLAN was formed on April 23, 1949, in Taizhou city in Jiangsu province. It originally consisted of nine warships and 17 boats obtained when a unit of the Kuomintang's second coastal defense fleet defected to the PLA. Coincidentally, Taizhou is the birthplace of Hu Jintao.

Qingdao will be China's fourth naval review since 1949. The first was held in Dalian in 1957. The second was held in 1995 in the Yellow Sea and attended by Jiang Zemin, Hu's predecessor. The third was held in 2005, after a Sino-Russian joint military exercise in the sea off Shandong province.

Wu Zhong is the China Editor of Asia Times Online.

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