A good opportunity to strengthen PLA Navy

Editor’s note: The People’s Liberation Army Navy celebrates its 70th founding anniversary on Tuesday. How has the PLA Navy developed over the past seven decades? And what does the celebration, including a joint sea parade, portend for the future of the PLA Navy? Two experts share their views on the issue with China Daily’s Pan Yixuan. Excerpts follow:

Navy’s modernization still a work in progress

Thanks to decades of perseverance and strenuous efforts, China has made remarkable progress developing its navy. In particular, the past decade has seen China putting three homegrown aircraft carriers and other vessels into service or on trial.

With ships with increasing tonnage, upgraded systems and more aircraft-carrying capacity, and vessels with greater surface and underwater combat capability, the PLA Navy has fortified its offshore defense, and boosted its open-sea and non-war operational capabilities, which are historic achievements.

Compared with other countries’ navies, however, the PLA Navy’s modernization is still a work in progress. The United States is the world’s leading naval power in terms of investment, technology, spending and combat ability. And the Russian navy’s huge scale and experience make it a strong naval power with real combat capability.

Despite its armament upgrade, the PLA Navy still needs to increase its actual combat capability for its further development. It needs to upgrade the training programs to strengthen its comprehensive combat capability including warfare strategy. The defense authorities should also consider the systemic upgrading of weapons and equipment, destroyers and cruise ships. Of China’s three homegrown aircraft carriers, only the Type 001 aircraft carrier Liaoning has been in service, though the other two – one of which has had five sea trials but has not been commissioned – signify the remarkable development of its navy.

There is no doubt that China has built a strong navy. And the 70th anniversary celebration of the PLA Navy will set the course for its future development.

For historical and cultural reasons, in the past China did not pay enough attention to its maritime interests. But in the last few years the PLA Navy’s development has helped make China increasingly aware of its maritime interests, and vice-versa. And the joint sea parade will increase Chinese people’s sense of security, as well as prompt China to increase its spending on the defense sector, including the navy.

A stronger navy not only can better safeguard national security, but also better protect Chinese citizens’ overseas interests. Besides, it can also make greater contributions to global peacekeeping, including combating terrorism.

Liu Qiang, executive director of the Strategy and Security Institute, School of International Relations, National University of Defense Technology

Activities will help navy to strengthen itself

The 70th anniversary celebration is special for the PLA Navy. The sea parade will be the largest the PLA Navy has ever held, and it will give it the opportunity to showcase most of its armaments in active service and thus project its strength and capabilities.

The year 2019 is also the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. With the rapid development of its navy, China has bolstered its overall defense capability, which is of vital importance to safeguard its sovereignty and security.

With naval delegations from 60 countries and ship from 10 foreign navies taking part in the sea parade and other activities, the Chinese navy will also get a chance evaluate its actual strength and combat capability.

The anniversary event will include various activities such as high-level symposiums, an international fleet inspection, public tours of ships, a joint military music performance, and other cultural exchanges. And communication with other navies at various levels will help the PLA Navy to compare itself with others, and therefore improve its combat theories, weapons and equipment in the future.

Li Daguang, a researcher at the National Defense University of the People's Liberation Army

The views don’t necessarily represent those of China Daily.