The South China Sea has witnessed growing Chinese naval presence, but the People’s Liberal Army Navy (PLAN) parade on 12 April was of another magnitude. Chinese ambitions to become a leading ‘blue water’ navy and maritime power were on full display, with President Xi Jinping, as chairman of the Central Military Commission, donning camoufl age military fatigues.
The parade was the largest ever held by the PLAN since its creation in 1949. It included the Liaoning aircraft carrier, type 052D destroyers, type 052C destroyers, type 071 amphibious transport dock and type 093 nuclear-powered submarines (two of which carry nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles). In total, 48 vessels, 76 aircraft and over 10,000 service personnel were reported to be involved. According to articles published on the English language version of the Chinese Central Military Committee website, the PLAN “displayed its latest equipment and best strength with unprecedented transparency”, thereby sending “subtle messages to the outside world”.
In his remarks, President Xi noted the need to accelerate the development of new types of combat forces and build a modern maritime combat system, and that “the task of building a powerful navy has never been as urgent as it is today”. It was no coincidence that the naval parade coincided with live fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. In doing so, Beijing offered two messages.
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