The 2018 South China Sea Parade () was a

military parade A military parade is a formation of soldiers whose movement is restricted by close-order manoeuvering known as drilling or marching. The military parade is now almost entirely ceremonial, though soldiers from time immemorial up until the lat ...

held in the

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phil ...

near

Sanya Sanya (; also spelled Samah) is the southernmost city on Hainan Island, and one of the four prefecture-level cities of Hainan Province in South China. According to the 2020 census, the total population of Sanya was 1,031,396 inhabitants, li ...

Hainan Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slightly l ...

on April 13, 2018. It is the biggest marine parade since the establishment of the

Communist State A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state that is administered and governed by a communist party guided by Marxism–Leninism. Marxism–Leninism was the state ideology of the Soviet Union, the Comint ...

in 1949 and according to the Chinese government, the biggest in 600 years. It saw 50 warships, 76 fighters and more than 10,000 military officers and soldiers taking part.

Xi Jinping Xi Jinping ( ; ; ; born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and thus as the paramount leader of China, s ...

Chairman of the Central Military Commission Chairman of the Central Military Commission may refer to: *Chairman of the Central Military Commission (China) *Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea See also *Secretary of the Central Military Commission of the ...

, reviewed the

People's Liberation Army Navy The People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN; ), also known as the People's Navy, Chinese Navy, or PLA Navy, is the maritime service branch of the People's Liberation Army. The PLAN traces its lineage to naval units fighting during the Chinese ...

on April 11, 2018. More than half of the vessels were commissioned after the

18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party The 18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party was held November 8-15, 2012 at the Great Hall of the People. It was preceded by the 17th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party. Due to term and age limits restrictions, seven o ...

in November 2012, when Xi became the

General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party The general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party () is the head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Since 1989, the CCP general secretary has been the paramount leader o ...

(

paramount leader Paramount leader () is an informal term for the most important political figure in the People's Republic of China (PRC). The paramount leader typically controls the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People's Liberation Army (PLA), often hol ...

Parade Participants

The First Echelon

* Two

Type 094 submarine The Type 094 (; Chinese designation: 09- IV; NATO reporting name: Jin class) is a class of ballistic missile submarine developed by China for the People's Liberation Army Navy Submarine Force. The Type 094 succeeds the Type 092 submarine and p ...

s * Four Type 093 submarines

The Second Echelon

* Six

Type 039 submarine The Type 039 submarine (NATO reporting name: Song-class) is a class of diesel-electric submarines of the People's Liberation Army Navy. The class is the first diesel-electric submarine to be fully developed within China and also the first Chinese ...

The Third Echelon

* Four

Type 052D destroyer The Type 052D destroyer (NATO/ OSD Luyang III-class destroyer) is a class of guided-missile destroyers in the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy. The Type 052D is a larger variant of the Type 052C; the Type 052D uses a canister-type, instead ...

s: ''Hefei (DDG-174)'', ''Yinchuan (DDG-175 )'', ''Changsha (DDG-173)'' and ''Kunming (DDG-172)''. * Two

Type 052C destroyer The Type 052C destroyer (NATO/Office of the Secretary of Defense, OSD Luyang II-class destroyer) is a ship class, class of guided-missile destroyers in the China, Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy Surface Force (PLAN). The Type 052C introduc ...

s: ''Changchun (150 )'' and ''Zhengzhou (151)'' * Two

Type 054A frigate The Type 054A (NATO/ OSD Jiangkai II) is a class of guided-missile frigate from the People's Republic of China. It is a development of the Type 054 frigate; compared to its predecessor, the Type 054A has medium-range air defense capability in th ...

s: ''Hengshui'' (572) and ''Liuzhou (573)''

The Fourth Echelon

Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning ''Liaoning'' (16; ) is a Chinese Type 001 aircraft carrier. The Chinese aircraft carrier programme, first aircraft carrier commissioned into the People's Liberation Army Navy Surface Force, she was originally classified as a training ship, inte ...

Type 901 fast combat support ship The Type 901 (NATO reporting name: ''Fuyu''-class, also known as ''Hulunhu''-class) is a class of fast combat support ship of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy. Design The Type 901 is estimated to have a 45,000 ton displacement and a bea ...

: ''Hulunhu (965)'' * Type 052D destroyer: ''Xining (DDG-117 )'' * Two Type 052C destroyers: ''Lanzhou (170)'' and ''Haikou (717)'' * Type 051C destroyers: ''Shijiazhuang (116)''

The Fifth Echelon

* Two

Type 071 amphibious transport dock The Type 071 (NATO reporting name: Yuzhao) is a class of Chinese amphibious transport dock ships in service with the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). The Type 071 provides the PLAN with capabilities and flexibility not found in its previou ...

s: '' Kunlun Shan (998)'' and ''Changbai Shan (989)'' * Two

Type 072A landing ship The Type 072A landing ship (NATO/ OSD ''Yuting II''-class landing ship tank) is a class of amphibious warfare ship in the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy. The Type 072A is a development of the Type 072II or Type 072III landing ships. A tu ...

s: ''Wutai Shan (917)'' and Wuyi Shan (914) *

: ''Jinan (152)'' *

: ''Hengyang (568)''

The Sixth Echelon

* Eight

Type 056 corvette The Type 056 corvette (NATO reporting name: Jiangdao-class corvette) is a class of warship deployed by the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). They replace older patrol craft and some of the Type 053H frigates. The first Type 056 entere ...

s: ''Xinyang (501)'', ''Huangshi (502), ''Qinhuangdao (505)'', ''Jingmen (506)'', ''Tongren (507)'', ''Qujing (508)'', ''Hanzhong (520)''.

The Seventh Echelon

Type 903 replenishment ship The Type 903 (NATO reporting name: ''Fuchi'') is a class of replenishment oiler (AOR) built for the People's Liberation Army Navy by the People's Republic of China. They resemble , an AOR built by China for Thailand and delivered in 1996. Two Type ...

: ''Luomahu (964)''. * Type 815G spy ship: ''Tianwangxing (853)'' *

Type 920 hospital ship ''Daishan Dao'' is a Type 920 hospital ship of the People's Liberation Army Navy of the People's Republic of China. ''Daishan Dao'' is also known as ''Peace Ark'' during peacetime, and has received NATO reporting name Anwei class (meaning comfo ...

: ''Daishandao (866)'' * Type 910 Auxiliary ship: ''Zu Chongzhi (893)'' * Type 0891A training ship: ''Qi Jiguang (83)'' * Type 636A hydrographic survey ship: ''Deng Jiaxian (874)''. *

Type 926 submarine support ship Type 926 submarine support ship with NATO reporting name Dalao is a class of submarine rescue and supply ship developed by China for the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), and as of mid-2014, a total of three are in service. This ship is capab ...

: ''Oceanic Island (864)''. * Tugboat: ''739''

Gallery

References

{{Military Parades of the People's Liberation Army 2018 in China Military parades in China South China Sea Parade Military history of the People's Republic of China