China navy will be built up fast, commander says

Published on April 19, 2009 by brooks | This story has been viewed 133 times

Large warships and new technology are high on the agenda, says Admiral Wu Shengli.

Associated Press
8:50 PM PDT, April 15, 2009

Beijing — China’s navy will move faster to build large combat warships, next-generation aircraft and sophisticated torpedoes, its commander in chief said.

The navy wants submarines with greater stealth capabilities, high-speed intelligent torpedoes, electronic weapons, supersonic cruise aircraft and long-range missiles with high accuracy, Adm. Wu Shengli told the official New China News Agency.

“The navy will move faster in researching and building new-generation weapons to boost the ability to fight in regional sea wars under the circumstances of information technology,” Wu said.

Wu’s comments came ahead of next week’s 60th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese navy. Wu is a member of the Central Military Commission, China’s top military body, which is headed by President Hu Jintao.

With most of China’s perceived threats to its sovereignty emanating from the ocean, the navy has been a particular beneficiary of China’s modernization.

Wu did not mention aircraft carriers, but the official China Daily quoted Senior Col. Li Jie, a researcher at the Chinese navy’s military academy, as saying the large combat warships would include aircraft carriers. Military officials have said that building an aircraft carrier was a matter of time.

The navy will also focus on strengthening its noncombat operations, including anti-terrorism activities, Wu was quoted as saying.

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