QINGDAO – China showed off the first of its new generation of guided missile destroyers on Tuesday as President Xi Jinping reviewed a major naval parade through mist and rain to mark 70 years since the founding of China’s navy.
“Salute to you, comrades. Comrades, thanks for your hard work,” Xi called out to the officers standing on deck as the ships sailed past, in images carried on state television.China’s first domestically produced aircraft carrier, which is still unnamed and undergoing sea trials, was not present, though the carrier the Liaoning was, the report said.
A total of 61 countries have sent delegations to the event, which includes a naval symposium on Wednesday and Thursday.Earlier, meeting foreign naval officers at Qingdao’s Olympic sailing centre, Xi said the navies of the world should work together to protect maritime peace and order. China has frequently had to rebuff concerns about its military intentions, especially as its defence spending reaches new heights.
The United States has sent a low-level delegation to Qingdao, led by the naval attache at its Beijing embassy, and no ships.