China expands naval diplomacy

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As a special envoy, the Chinese navy has already visited over 30 countries in 5 continents. Its escort missions in far-away Somalia, to guard against pirates, are only a small step in the march to becoming a fully functional world power.

Liang Guanglie, Defense Minister, said, "China has a vast sea area, protecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity is the duty of the PLA. The navy will further increase its capabilities to meet the needs of the country’s overall interest. "

Over the past years, Chinese naval forces have carried out several joint exercises with counterparts that include those from the US, Russia, the UK and Pakistan. The joint efforts at sea reveal that the country is becoming increasingly confident to play a bigger role on the world stage.

The maritime parade is making history in China as it has invited and gathered so many naval forces to carry out discussions and exchange ideas on maritime security. This is a reflection of changing traditional defense thinking to multilateral cooperation. With China speeding up its process of modernization and opening up, naval exchanges with other nations are expected to become more frequent.

Editor:Liu Anqi