On December 14, 2023, China's fourth Type 075 general-purpose amphibious assault ship was launched at the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard in Shanghai.
The launching ceremony marked the completion of the construction of the main body, the attack ship was removed from the dry dock and placed on the outfitting dock for the remaining work.
The new ship has not yet been officially named, and there is no information about the date of its completion. The Chinese authorities tend to keep the details of the achievements of military equipment secret until the official announcement.
To date, the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy has three attack ships of this class. The capital ship Hainan is part of the South China Sea Fleet. The first and second ships "Guangxi" and "Anhui" are in service with the East China Sea Fleet.
Earlier it was reported that China will limit the series to three Type 075 multipurpose attack ships, but the addition of a fourth ship indicates the possibility of adding more units in the future.
Amphibious assault ships were developed entirely by Chinese designers. In terms of size, these attack ships are comparable to their American counterparts such as the Tarawa-class, Wasp-class, and America-class.
According to the information available to the Chinese side,Type 075 ships are from 235 meters to 250 meters longThe total displacement is 360,000 tons。In comparison, the American attack ships of the same class ***The length is 254 to 257 metersThe total displacement is from 40000 to 46000 tons
The commissioning of the new ship will strengthen the Chinese Navy's combat power at a time when tensions in the South China Sea have escalated again. The United States accuses both countries of violating the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, but names China as a major threat to players in other regions.
To counter the so-called "Chinese influence", the United States engaged Vietnam through ** and military agreements, which included visits from American aircraft carriers. This, in turn, prompted Beijing to accuse Washington of escalating tensions in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea.
All of the recent U.S. actions, including drone ships and increased military spending near Chinese waters, are just another aspect of the Pentagon's Pacific Deterrence Program, which aims to continue to encircle China with U.S. bases and offensive platforms.
With the U.S. showing "extraordinary interest" in the South China Sea, deploying near China's borders and exacerbating tensions between China and other regional players by preaching the importance of "keeping the region open to the world," Beijing has naturally been forced to ramp up military spending to further improve its naval defense capabilities.