China to show new warships on navy anniversary

China will show off some of its new warships — including nuclear submarines and destroyers — for the first time during a massive maritime parade marking the 70th anniversary of the Chinese Navy on Tuesday.

A total of 32 Chinese vessels and 39 aircraft will take part in the parade near the eastern port city of Qingdao, the state-run Global Times quoted Vice Adm. Qiu Yanpeng, deputy commander of the People’s Liberation Army Navy, as saying at a news conference Saturday.

“The PLA Navy ship and aircraft to be revealed are the Liaoning aircraft carrier, new types of nuclear submarines, new types of destroyers, as well as fighter aircraft,” Qiu said without elaborating. “Some vessels will make their public debut.”

The navy has been a key beneficiary of the modernization plan as China looks to project power far from the country’s shores and protect its trading routes and citizens overseas.

Last month, Beijing unveiled a target of 7.5 percent rise in defence spending for this year, a slower rate than last year but still outpacing China’s economic growth target.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has overseen a massive military buildup, is expected to preside over the fleet review, which comes on the heels of a similar maritime parade last year in the disputed South China Sea that featured a total of 48 vessels and 76 planes, including the Liaoning, China’s first aircraft carrier, as well as nuclear submarines, guided-missile destroyers, and fighter jets.

It’s not clear if China’s second carrier, an as-yet-unnamed ship developed and built purely in China, will also take part, but in the past few days, state media has run stories praising recent sea trials.

China’s last naval battles were with the Vietnamese in the South China Sea, in 1974 and 1988, though these were relatively minor skirmishes.

Chinese navy ships have also participated in international anti-piracy patrols off Somalia’s coast since late 2008.