China’s new aircraft carrier, US expected to miss navy’s 70th anniversary fleet review

Thirty-two Chinese warships and 39 aircraft will take part in naval parade in Yellow Sea on Tuesday, along with nearly 20 foreign vessels

But home-grown carrier the Type 001A is not yet ‘combat ready’ and the Pentagon says it won’t send a warship

Reading Time:4 minutes

The PLA Navy held its largest ever fleet review in the South China Sea last year. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 11:00pm, 20 Apr 2019Updated: 11:21pm, 20 Apr 2019

China’s navy will mark the 70th anniversary of its founding on Tuesday, but its new home-grown aircraft carrier is unlikely to take part in a multinational fleet review, military observers said.

The People’s Liberation Army Navy on Saturday announced that 32 Chinese warships and 39 aircraft would be part of the naval parade in the Yellow Sea. They will be joined by nearly 20 foreign vessels from 10 countries, but the United States will not join the event this year.

The fleet review off the coast of Qingdao, Shandong province is expected to be the fifth military parade inspected by President Xi Jinping since he took the helm in late 2012.

“The PLA warships and aircraft to be reviewed include the Liaoning aircraft carrier, new nuclear submarines and destroyers, as well as fighter jets, and some of the warships will be revealed for the first time,” China’s deputy naval commander Qiu Yanpeng told reporters in Qingdao, without elaborating.

Military experts said the announcement suggested that the first Chinese-built aircraft carrier, the Type 001A, would probably not take part.

Song Zhongping, a military commentator on Hong Kong-based Phoenix TV, said fleet reviews “should reflect a navy’s real combat effectiveness”.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x