Aircraft carrier crew vow to safeguard maritime territory

Senior Captain Mei Wen, political commissar of the "Liaoning" ship, China's first aircraft carrier, stated that "Fortune comes from the sea, so does the danger". For a long period in the future, the threat to China's security will come from the sea. Since the beginning of 2012, it has happened that the Philippines kicked up the provocation on the Huangyan Island, Japan put up the farce of "purchasing" the Diaoyu Islands, and Vietnam made its law to include China's Xisha Islands and Nansha Islands into its so-called "sovereignty" and "jurisdiction". At a time, turbulence is simmering in the East China Sea and the South China Sea.

In the face of such grim situations, the Navy of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) has to form a powerful open-sea defense combat capability in order to provide forceful strategic support for safeguarding our national marine rights and interests as well as overseas interests.

The so-called "first island chain" and "second island chain" should not be chains to bind up the development of the Chinese Navy, but the navigation marks for the Chinese Navy to sail into the vast oceans. In terms of coastal waters, the Chinese Navy should be able to defend the coastal waters and take down the offending force for the sake of resolutely safeguarding our maritime territory and sovereignty as well as the maritime rights and interests; in terms of open-sea waters, the Chinese Navy should be able to reach out farther and hold it there, being able to break through the shackles of island chains even the tight blockade so as to exert the strength to safeguard our overseas economic interests and fluent strategic channels.

As the first generation of Chinese aircraft carrier crew, all the officers and men on board feel tasked with divine missions and great responsibilities. We shall take successfully accomplishing the handover and commissioning of the aircraft carrier as well the take-off and landing of the carrier-borne aircraft as a new starting point to speed up the advancement of our combat effectiveness construction, and ensure the early establishment of our high-sea combat capability, making due contributions to safeguarding our national maritime rights and interests, and building up China into a marine power.