The Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy is celebrating its 70th anniversary on April 23 with a large maritime parade off the coast of Qingdao, eastern Shandong Province. But how much do you know about the PLA Navy?
The Chinese PLA Navy is composed of five branches: The Submarine Force, the Surface Force, the Coastal Defense Force, the Marine Corps and the Naval Air Force.
The Surface Force consists of units of aircraft carriers, destroyers, frigates, missile boats, torpedo boats, submarine chasers, gunboats, mine countermeasures, landing craft, supply and auxiliary vessels. All the warships are serving in three fleets - the North China Sea Fleet, the East China Sea Fleet and the South China Sea Fleet. It was the only force on water when the PLA Navy was founded in April 1949, and has developed to one of the navy's backbone forces to strike and support.
