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BEIJING: A flotilla of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy led by the country’s first large 10,000-ton Type 055 destroyer sailed through the Tsushima Strait on Thursday and headed for the Sea of Japan, just days after the United States and Japan to release the “2+ 2” joint statement by ministers that seriously provoked China.
The PLA operation, likely routinely scheduled, demonstrated the Type 055’s combat readiness in distant seas where it can carry out missions including theater air defense and anti-submarine tasks, following its commissioning in early 2020, they said. Chinese military analysts on Friday.
The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force saw a PLA Navy flotilla consisting of three warships, namely the Type 055 Nanchang guided missile destroyer, the Type 052D Chengdu guided missile destroyer, and the Type 052D guided missile frigate. 054A Daqing, which crossed the Tsushima Strait and sailed into the Sea of Japan on Thursday, the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Japanese Defense Ministry said in a press release on Friday.
This is the first time that the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force has detected a Type 055 destroyer, according to the press release.
China has not yet announced related information as of press time.
Entering the Sea of Japan shows that the Type 055 has gained the ability to patrol in distant marine regions, and is an indication of the progress of the PLA Navy, Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert and television commentator, told the Global Times on Friday.
This operation is likely to be routinely scheduled, allowing the Nanchang to hone its combat capabilities along the way, Song said, noting that it would be interesting to see if the PLA flotilla will sail through other straits near Japan and enter. in the western Pacific.
The Type 055 can not only lead naval flotillas, but can also accompany aircraft carriers and strengthen China’s high seas combat task forces, experts said.
The PLA flotilla’s move came after the defense and foreign ministers of the United States and Japan warned against “coercion and destabilizing behavior” by China after bilateral “2 + 2” talks in Tokyo on Tuesday. .
Chinese analysts said at the time that China’s so-called behavior is really related to China’s sovereignty or core interests, and most of the friction was caused by the provocation of the United States or its allies, so it is they who They should rethink how to reduce the negatives. impact on the region that could generate more instability.
Reiterating the routine nature of the operation, Song said the PLA training is not directed at Japan or the United States, but these countries will likely perceive it that way because they view China as their imaginary enemy.
The PLA needs to increase its combat capabilities in distant seas to safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests in an uncertain and unstable world, with external threats from a small circle led by the United States, Song said.
With a displacement of more than 12,000 tons, the Type 055 is a guided missile destroyer about 180 meters long, 22 meters wide and has 112 vertical launch missile cells capable of launching a combination of surface-to-air missiles, missiles anti-ship, land attack missiles and anti-submarine missiles.
The warship is also endowed with the ability to gain strong situational awareness, media outlets previously said, prompting analysts to say the Type 055 is one of the most powerful warships in the world, if not the most powerful.
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