Chinese PresidentXi Jinping paid a special visit April 9 to a submarine and destroyer base at Sanya in the southern maritime province of Hainan in what is viewed as a major boost to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) navy’s morale and ambition.
“I want you all to combine your personal ideals with the ‘dream to strengthen the military,’” Mr. Xi told PLA navy personnel, using one of his dream-inspired catchphrases such as “the Chinese dream” and “the dream to revive the Chinese nation.”
China recently began a warship-building surge. At the Sanya base, Mr. Xi rode an open-top jeep and inspected 11 new warships anchored at the port, most of them Type 054A destroyers equipped with China’s best anti-submarine sensors and weapons.
Also docked at Sanya is China’s largest naval warship, the Jinggangshan amphibious dock landing ship. Its sole purpose is to wage warfare in an island-taking operation or invasion.
…
China is the world’s only country whose submarine force is striving to match the number and strength of U.S. Navy subs. China views its submarine force a key deterrent against the United States and a vital offensive arm of its strategic naval power.
Ocean key to China’s revival
Naval domination of the disputed South China Sea is key to “the great revival of the Chinese nation,” the commander of the South China Sea Fleet said in an interview this month in the PLA Daily, the official military newspaper.
Full article: Inside China: Xi promotes ‘military dream’ (Washington Times)
Global Geopolitics 