BEIJING: Images of new destroyers on social media show the Chinese Navy continuing its shipbuilding frenzy despite military tensions in the region.
Photos shared on Weibo show five large ships being built at the same dry dock, which appears to be at the government-owned Dalian Shipyard in Liaoning Province. The two hulls resemble, at the very least, guided-missile destroyer hulls.
Both resemble the 052DL ships, "extended" versions of the Chinese Navy's Type 052D destroyers, thanks to their extended helicopter deck at the rear.
Although they are still in the planning stages, the three additional ships at the docks are similar to the first two in terms of size and shape.
In recent years, the Chinese Navy has commissioned more warships than any other nation, making it the largest navy in terms of total number of ships. However, in terms of total displacement, it still lags behind the US Navy, and many of its ships are in need of modernization.
Of the Type 052D ships, 25, which were first introduced in 2014, are currently in service. In addition to the ships being built in Dalian, at least one additional Type 052D ship is being built at Shanghai's Jiangnan Shipyard.
The Type 052D is the US Navy's equivalent of the Earl Burke-class destroyer in that it has an integrated electronic weapons system of its own. Seventy Earl Burke ships are in use by the US Navy.
The Type 052D destroyer Nanjing was captured on camera engaging Taiwanese destroyer Tso Ying in the east of the island during People's Liberation Army (PLA) exercises around Taiwan earlier this month.
The Type 052D can accelerate to 30 nautical mph and has a displacement of 7,500 tons (8,267 long tons). It has a 64-cell vertical launching system for surface-to-air, surface-to-surface and anti-submarine missiles as well as an advanced Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar.
The Type 052DL is 200 tonnes heavier and 5 m (16.4 ft) long so it can carry the Harbin Z-20 helicopter.
In a report released last week, Washington-based think tank Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment claimed that China may have the financial capacity to build five aircraft carriers and ten nuclear ballistic missile submarines by 2030.
The report, titled "China's Choice", said that "the PLA has the necessary resources to continue its modernization into the 2020s."
According to the report, the PLA will have enough money to purchase "strategic bombers, strategic transport and refueling aircraft, blue water logistics ships, aircraft carriers, cruisers and destroyers" in the 2030s.
Dalian Shipyard is one of the major suppliers of the Chinese Navy. The Liaoning and Shandong aircraft carriers, as well as four Type 055 stealth destroyers large enough to be called cruisers by US Navy standards, were all built in Dalian.
Between 2017 and 2020, eight Type 055 ships were launched for the Chinese Navy, and at least six of them have seen service.
Taiwanese are trafficked by telecom fraud gangs and forced into online slavery
Russia targets the Zaporizhzhia region as Kiev forbids celebrations for Independence Day
