China holds meeting celebrating navy's 70th founding anniversary
A meeting was held in Beijing on Sunday to celebrate the 70th founding anniversary of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, which falls on April 23.
Participants to the meeting reviewed the PLA Navy's history of developing from almost nothing to becoming strong, summarized its experiences on combat, reform, transformation, and military struggle preparedness, and looked into the future of building it into a world-class navy in the new era.
It was pointed out that the PLA Navy has gradually developed into a powerful modern navy that can effectively safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests.
In particular, the navy has undergone historic changes and made big achievements since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, which was held in 2012, the meeting concluded.
The meeting also vowed that officers and soldiers of the navy will contribute to speeding up the navy's transformation and development and build it into a world-class force.
China's second aircraft carrier is transferred from dry dock into the water at a launch ceremony in Dalian shipyard of the China Shipbuilding Industry Corp. in Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning Province, April 26, 2017. /Xinhua Photo
At the meeting, units and individuals were honored for making outstanding contributions to the navy's development.
Over 1,300 people, including leaders from organs of the Central Military Commission, and representatives of the army and the navy, attended the event.
On Saturday, PLA Navy Deputy Commander Qiu Yanpeng told a press conference that China will host a four-day celebration in the port city of Qingdao, in Shandong Province, for the anniversary, including a grand naval parade on April 23.
China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, and latest nuclear submarines, destroyers and fighter jets will be among the 32 Chinese vessels and 39 warplanes displayed in the parade, according to Qiu.
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