77th anniversary of the founding of its navy, whose growing strength has
become an important force for regional and global stability.
As
part of these celebrations, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy
opened naval bases in more than 10 cities to the public, with dozens of
active-duty vessels on display, according to the navy.
The lineup
includes guided-missile destroyers, frigates and amphibious transport
docks, along with support vessels such as replenishment ships and
hospital ships. Many of the vessels have taken part in missions
including escort operations in the Gulf of Aden, overseas visits and
joint exercises.
To mark the occasion, the navy also released a
short film, “Into the Deep,” showing an aircraft carrier group operating
alongside other naval forces, supported by carrier-based aircraft and
shore-based missile systems in coordinated precision strikes.
China’s
drive to develop a capable navy has been tied to both its geography and
its history. With more than 18,000 kilometers of coastline and a vast
maritime domain, the country has increasingly emphasized safeguarding
its waters, shaped in part by over 470 foreign naval incursions from
1840 to 1949.
Founded in 1949, the same year as the People’s
Republic of China, the PLA Navy has developed into a modern strategic
service with a full range of naval branches and both conventional and
nuclear capabilities.
In just over a decade, the navy has built a
trio of aircraft carriers. The first, Liaoning, a refitted Soviet-made
vessel, entered service in 2012, followed by Shandong in 2019, China’s
first domestically built aircraft carrier.
The third, Fujian,
equipped with electromagnetic catapults, was commissioned in November
2025 and is now the largest vessel in the navy’s active fleet by
displacement. Work is ongoing on its carrier-based air wing, including
fighter jets, early-warning aircraft and helicopters designed for
carrier operations.
Beyond its carrier program, the navy has
added new strategic nuclear submarines, 10,000-tonne-class destroyers,
amphibious assault ships and integrated supply ships, in support of
maritime operations and national security.
This rapid pace of
modernization has also been visible to the public. Aboard a warship,
Wang Zhifang, a 97-year-old veteran dressed in the old-style military
uniform from his service days, recalled serving with only rifles.
“Now
the weapons are automated, and the military operates with a much higher
level of automation,” the veteran said, expressing admiration for the
navy’s transformation.
Another visitor, a young military
enthusiast, said the navy had made a qualitative leap over the past
decade. He recalled buying military magazines each month in middle
school, most of them focused on foreign equipment. “Back then, I kept
wondering when I would see Chinese aircraft carriers,” he said. “Now
that day has finally come.”
For Lin Yi-chen, a young woman from
Taiwan attending the navy’s open-day event, stepping onto a warship for
the first time was a new experience, one that, she said, offered a
different perspective. She hoped to share it with more young people in
Taiwan.
The Chinese navy’s growing capabilities have increasingly
been put to use in international missions, from escort operations to
humanitarian assistance initiatives.
Since 2008, the PLA Navy has
sent dozens of fleets to the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somali on
escort missions to protect the international lane, escorting over 7,000
Chinese and foreign vessels.
In addition to escort missions, the
navy has broadened its overseas medical operations. The hospital ship
Peace Ark has treated more than 370,000 people worldwide since entering
service, while a newer vessel, Silk Road Ark, has since 2025 extended
such efforts to countries including Fiji, Tonga and Jamaica.
The
navy has also become a regular responder to overseas crises, taking part
in evacuations from Libya and Yemen, disaster relief in the
Philippines, and emergency water deliveries to the Maldives during a
local shortage.
“Such efforts reflect China’s increasingly
confident role in global and regional affairs, helping position the PLA
Navy as a stabilizing force for peace worldwide,” said Teng Jianqun, an
international affairs expert.
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