Chinese President Hu meets foreign navy commanders

Apr 23 04:37 AM US/Eastern
By KEN TEH
Associated Press Writer

QINGDAO, China (AP) - Chinese President Hu Jintao presided Thursday over an international naval review in the northern port of Qingdao that highlights Beijing's ambitions of becoming a major sea power.

Ships and naval aircraft from China and 14 other countries took part in the display in the East China Sea, the first-ever hosted by the People's Liberation Army Navy in honor of its 60th anniversary.

Hu, who also heads the Communist Party commission that commands the armed forces, announced the start of the display from aboard the Chinese destroyer Shijiazhuang accompanied by the Chinese navy's commander, Adm. Wu Shengli, Defense Minister Liang Guanglie, and other top military brass.

Two Chinese nuclear submarines took part, state media said, the first known public display of the potent naval weapons.

Earlier in the day, Hu met with U.S. and other foreign naval commanders, telling them China supported increased cooperation among navies to safeguard maritime safety.

"Strengthening exchanges between the navies of all countries and embarking on international maritime safety cooperation substantially contributes to the building of harmonious oceans and seas," Hu said.

The president also repeated China's standard position that the country would never threaten other nations or seek regional dominance and that its military "will always be a force for the preservation of world peace and advancement of common development."

The gathering is being portrayed by state media as a signal of China's intent to develop its navy into a force able to conduct operations far from home ports in defense of the country's maritime trade.

Those plans are believed to include the addition of one or more aircraft carriers to the fleet over the coming years, possibly emboldening China in enforcing its territorial claims in the South China Sea and elsewhere.

China deployed its anti-piracy patrol last December to Somalia in a rare joint operation with navies from other countries. It was the first time the communist state dispatched ships abroad on a combat mission.

The 225,000-member PLAN already operates more subs than any other Asian nation, with up to 10 nuclear-powered vessels and as many as 60 diesel-electric subs.

The country's nuclear-powered Jin and Shang class submarines are considered just a notch below cutting-edge U.S. and Russian craft. Its diesel-electric Yuan class also boasts an indigenously developed air-independent propulsion system that allows it to remain submerged for weeks.

Other countries participating included Australia, Brazil, France, India, South Korea, Pakistan, and Russia. Adm. Gary Roughead, chief of naval operations, is representing the U.S. Navy at the events, along with the guided missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald.