Chinese President Xi Jinping oversaw the largest naval parade in his country's history Thursday, as China concluded two days of military drills in the hotly contested South China Sea, a massive show of strength amid growing tensions with the United States.
At
least 10,000 personnel took part in drills, which involved 48 naval
vessels and 76 fighter jets, said the country's Defense Ministry.
Xi,
dressed in camouflage military fatigues and speaking aboard the Chinese
destroyer Changsha, called for further modernization efforts, and
underlined his goal of transforming the country's navy into a
"world-class force" under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party.
China's only aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, took part in the parade with a display of J-15 fighter jets under Xi's observation.
Since coming to power in 2012, Xi has
overseen considerable growth in Chinese naval power. Whereas previously
the country's navy was largely defensive and confined to its immediate
coastal waters, today it boasts significant "blue-water" capabilities,
meaning it can project force into areas such as the Indian and Pacific
oceans.
But
it's the South China Sea that represents the biggest potential
challenge. The Chinese government claims a huge swath of territory
across the sea, overlapping with claims of the Philippines and Vietnam,
among others.
The massive PLA navy
drills in the South China Sea sent a clear signal to the other claimants
in the region, as well as the US, Collin Koh, research fellow at the S.
Rajaratnam School of International Studies' Maritime Security Program,
told CNN.
"The PLA Navy is there and they're there to stay," he said.
aiwan drills announced
In
a foreshadowing of future drills, the Fujian provincial maritime
authority on Thursday announced live-fire naval exercises for April 18
in the Taiwan Strait, the first Chinese naval exercise in waters off the
self governing island since September 2015.
The
announcement of drills in the Taiwan Strait comes after a month of
growing tensions between China, Taiwan and the United States.
Taiwan has been self-governed since a
bloody civil war ended in 1949. Though both Taipei and Beijing view the
island as part of China, neither government recognizes the legitimacy of
the opposing side, with Beijing warning that it could retake the island
by force if necessary.
The US, which provides arms to the island, announced in the past week it would allow American manufacturers to market submarine technology to Taiwan.
In March, US President Donald Trump signed the Taiwan travel act to encourage visits by officials in both Washington and Taipei, triggering a stream a thanks from the Taiwanese government and recriminations from Beijing.
Xi had a blunt message for Taiwan
during a nationalistic speech at the conclusion of the China's National
People's Congress in March, where he warned against any attempts to
"split the motherland."
"Every inch
of our great motherland's territory cannot be separated from China," he
said, drawing loud applause from his audience inside the Great Hall of
the People.
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