On March 13, 1988, ***, then a member of the ** Military Commission and deputy secretary general, was holding a military meeting, and was interrupted by his secretary in the middle and brought an emergency:
The situation in the Spratlys is urgent, and there is a possibility of war. As for the conflict between China and Vietnam in the South China Sea, this has long been expected. When the general heard the news, he immediately ordered: "Fight with all your might!" ”
1. The Sino-Vietnamese Naval Battle.
The South China Sea has been part of China's territory since ancient times. However, due to the weak military strength of the new Chinese Navy after the founding of the People's Republic of China and the distance of the South China Sea, China's waters have not been effectively protected. As early as 1956, the Saigon regime in South Vietnam brazenly invaded and occupied the territory of Nansha in China. Although our country also made ** and made representations, it did not play an important role because Vietnam was in a turbulent period between the north and the south. Other Southeast Asian countries, such as the Philippines and Malaysia, saw that our country could not effectively resist Vietnam's actions, so they followed suit and forcibly occupied our waters and islands. As early as 1982, when Admiral ** first became the commander of the Navy, he set his sights on the South China Sea Islands. He has sent scientific research vessels to the South China Sea on many occasions to conduct scientific investigations and fully understand the situation in the South China Sea. Later, at the International Ocean Conference, he proposed the establishment of an oceanographic observatory in the South China Sea. At the same time, ** also made this request to the Military Commission, which was approved. In 1987, at the request of UNESCO, China** agreed to establish a number of oceanographic observatories in Chinese waters. After many investigations, it was decided to set up an observation station on Fiery Cross Reef in the Nansha Islands.
On March 13, 1988, the Chinese Navy was ordered to cooperate with relevant departments to inspect Fiery Cross Reef and Chigua Reef in the Nansha Islands, provoking hostility and provocation from Vietnam.
When they arrived at Chigua Reef, the situation was tense, and the Chinese Navy, which was on a mission, immediately reported to the ** Military Commission. **After hearing the news of the meeting, it was immediately decided: stick to Chigua Reef, the enemy shoots first, then resolutely destroy it! On March 14, the No. 1 transport ship of the Vietnamese Navy. The 604th and 605th landing ships 505 followed our navy in the waters of Chigua Reef and continued to harass us. Immediately afterwards, armed men were sent to forcibly land on the island and planted two Vietnamese flags on the reef. The Chinese navy used a loudspeaker to shout to the Vietnamese army, clearly telling the Chigua Reef that it was our territory, demanding that the Vietnamese army retreat, and at the same time sending the Chinese navy to land on the island. Fifty-eight Chinese navy armed with five-star red flags confronted 43 Vietnamese armed men on a 210-meter-long reef. Immediately afterwards, the Vietnamese army first used submachine guns to attack our army, wounding our army's scientific research personnel, and our army immediately counterattacked, and then the navies of the two sides also launched a fierce battle. In the course of the entire battle, our navy was in an absolute advantage. Sinking the Vietnamese transport ship No. 604, damaging the No. 605 transport ship, and severely damaging the No. 505 landing ship, killing 74 Vietnamese soldiers and capturing more than 40 people, including 1 lieutenant colonel. But only one of our troops was slightly wounded in the arm, and no one died.
On March 14, 1988, the day of the end of the naval battle, China sent a note to Vietnam.
The Chinese Navy took advantage of the victory to pursue six islands and reefs in the South China Sea, including Huayang Reef, Dongmen Reef, Nanxun Reef and Subi Reef, as well as Fiery Cross Reef and Chigua Reef, which had been reclaimed. It fills the gap in the actual control of the South China Sea and lays the foundation for future land reclamation and development. Due to the small size of the islands and reefs in the South China Sea, China's naval strength was not very strong at that time. Even if the island is successful, the supply of this trip will be a big problem, but the development of our modern navy has not stopped. 2.Centennial Navy The proverb of the Centennial Navy comes from the Age of Sail, when ships were made of wood, and most of the wood needed was more than ten years old, or more than a hundred years old. It can be seen that it is difficult to build ships, so it is called the "century-old navy". Today, the proverb of a century-old navy is increasingly used to describe the arduousness of building a world-class navy, which requires tremendous efforts and dedication in terms of human, material, and financial resources.
Since the establishment of our navy on April 23, 1949, they have endured humiliation and burdens and have continued to strive for self-improvement.
And the development of the modern navy, the first general has contributed a lot. On August 28, 1982, Admiral ** was inaugurated as Commander of the Navy. At that time, he was on the eve of a million-dollar disarmament (1985-1987). Affected by this, many institutions have been removed and demoted, but they are well aware of the importance of the navy. It was from this center that the well-known "presidium" Admiral Zhang Shaozhong came to the fore and played an important role in the construction of China's navy. "At the end of 1985, I formally raised the issue of China's 'naval strategy' for the first time. In the memoirs wrote. He re-implemented the strategy of naval development and transformed our navy from "coastal defense" to "coastal defense". This method is still in use today.
As for China's development of the navy, General Liu also formulated a "three-step" strategic plan:
That is, at the beginning of the 21st century, the first island chain will be controlled, the second island chain will be controlled around 2020, and the Chinese Navy will realize the global voyage by 2050. Looking at General Liu's strategy now, the strategy that was a bit "funny" back then can now be said to be the most far-sighted. Therefore, General ** is also known as the "father of the modern Chinese navy". Speaking of naval construction, we have to say another title of General ***: "Father of Chinese Aviation". In his memoirs, he wrote: "At the beginning of 1970, I organized a special demonstration of an aircraft carrier and submitted an engineering proposal. When we visited the United States in May 1980, they arranged for us to visit the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. I was impressed by its size and modern combat capabilities, and with the features it offered. ”
This ** was taken by Mr. Liu when he visited the Kitty Hawk aircraft carrier, Mr. Liu, who was in his sixties, stood on tiptoe and leaned forward, wanting to observe it up close.
In November 1987, at the age of 71, he was appointed "Deputy Secretary-General of the Military Commission and resigned as Commander of the Navy." In the years that followed, the need to "pay attention to the modernization and equipment of the [army)" was made the first priority. In particular, it has played a major leading role in the development of aircraft carriers. He once said: "If China doesn't build aircraft carriers, I will die in peace!" In 1987, General Liu pointed out that the development of aircraft could not be delayed. If financial and material resources cannot support it, test and demonstration should be carried out as soon as possible. At the same time, General ** also made a plan for the development of aircraft: during the "Seventh Five-Year Plan" and "Eighth Five-Year Plan" research and demonstration periods, it will take 15-20 years to complete the research on key issues such as carrier-based aircraft platforms and aircraft. Foothold, focus on developing combat effectiveness after the 21 st century.
In 1998, a company in Macao purchased the Varyag by way of tender.
Because of this, we see hope for the possession of aircraft, but the return of the "Varyag" was not so smooth. On March 3, 2002, the Varyag arrived at its destination in Dalian, ChinaIn April 2005, the "Varyag" aircraft was officially repaired, and on September 25, 2012, it was delivered to the Chinese Navy, becoming China's first "Liaoning" aircraft. When General *** learned that the Chinese Navy had accepted and began to refit the "Varyag", the nearly ninety-year-old general praised again and again: the aircraft carrier project had begun, and he was in a good mood when he went. However, we just modified the Liaoning, not built it. When the "Varyag" arrived in Dalian, only the rusty steel hull remained, the power system and ** system had been dismantled, and the main shaft of the hull had been cut off. But it is an empty shell that plays an important role in the independent development of aircraft carriers in our country. To this day, the main purpose of the Liaoning aircraft carrier is still to focus on scientific research and training, and to provide a scientific research platform and reserve force training platform for the independent research and development of China's aircraft.
Its strategic importance is far greater than the actual importance of the battle. Since then, the Chinese Navy has opened the "aircraft carrier era".
On December 17, 2019, the first domestic aircraft "Shandong" entered service. It is an aircraft carrier built entirely independently by our country. Although "Liaoning" is used as a reference, through the improvement of China's scientific research personnel, the combat performance has been greatly improved, and China has also entered the "dual-aircraft era". On April 23, 2023, the 74th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Navy, China's third aircraft carrier is also completely manufactured by our country and equipped with the self-developed "electromagnetic catapult" system and the "Fujian" electromagnetic interception system. "The aircraft carrier is undergoing power tests and mooring tests, and China's "three-aircraft carrier era" is close at hand. It is worth mentioning that since the first 055 "Nanchang Ship" was launched on January 12, 2020, in just three years, our Navy has possessed it. A strong navy is inseparable from China's strong logistical support. According to the statistics of relevant departments, there are 735 shipyards in China, and 56 slipways or docks for ships of more than 100,000 tons can be built, including 30 of more than 300,000 tons and 6 super docks of 500,000 tons.
It also basically guarantees the development of China's naval equipment.
Since the 80s, in just 40 years of development, the Chinese Navy has demonstrated to the world the unity and explosiveness of the Chinese people. The 100-year-old Navy has not been used for a hundred years! At present, the Chinese Navy has 3 aircraft carriers (Fujian will soon be listed), and it is reported that the fourth and fifth aircraft carriers are also under construction. As many as 8 large destroyers of 550,000 tons were discontinued. This means that more advanced ships will appear in the Chinese Navy. The Chinese Navy also managed to break through the blockade of the first island chain and drive into the deep blue. Soon, it reached the second island chain, and the strategic goal of "global travel" was just around the corner. 3.Reclamation and Island Creation With the development of the Chinese Navy, routine voyages to the Hainan Islands have gradually become normalized. But since the 70s of the 20th century, at that time, due to the lack of naval forces in our country, the local focus was usually on economic construction.
Moreover, the mainland is far away from the Nanhai Zhudao, giving some Southeast Asian countries an opportunity to take advantage of. Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and other countries have illegally occupied many of China's islands and reefs, and Vietnam alone has forcibly occupied 29 islands and reefs.
Vietnam has a long history of island reclamation in the South China Sea and illegal mining activities in the South China Sea. Oil alone amounted to 4More than 300 million tons, 1,650 cubic meters of natural gas, worth more than $430 billion. On the military front, Vietnam has also tried to reclaim islands, build military facilities, and make occupied islands and reefs its own territory, but to no avail. With the improvement of China's comprehensive national strength and the continuous enhancement of its naval combat power, China began to reclaim islands in the South China Sea in 2013, aiming to provide supply points for Chinese ships. There are 252 islands and reefs in the South China Sea, of which about 100 are suitable for reclamation and about 30 are of strategic value. After China reclaimed the island through Nansha, Vietnam also wants to compete with China. According to foreign media reports, Vietnam even made a request to our country to purchase naval engineering ships, but was refused. Later, a second-hand ship was purchased overseas, but it was scrapped soon after. Since China decided to reclaim the islands, in just a few years, the construction of a number of islands and reefs has begun, and 8 have been built so far.
The construction of these islands and reefs can not only provide Chinese warships with peacetime supply points and footholds, but also build airfields, missile bases, radar stations, and so on. In the army. sinking aircraft carriers".
Among the islands and reefs that have been built so far, the largest Fiery Cross Island has an area of 28 square kilometers. The island has airports, hospitals, residences and other facilities, as well as military facilities. Conclusion In the upcoming "five-aircraft carrier era" of China's Navy, as well as the well-known J-20 (the aircraft carrier version of J-35), Dongfeng 17 (ship version of Eaglestrike-21), 10,000-ton Daqi 055, and the upcoming 096 nuclear submarine, China's coastal defense capability has reached the forefront of the world. The construction of various islands and reefs in the South China Sea has been completed one after another, which has also provided the navy with powerful logistical support and the role of a "bridgehead" and played a major role in safeguarding China's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
** The general's "coastal defense" strategy was fully demonstrated and applied at this time.
And his "three-step strategy" plan is also fully embodied in the course of history: Not long ago, the Liaoning and Shandong ships of the Chinese Navy arrived near the **US military base (the second island chain), and the nearest distance was less than 500 kilometers. In the foreseeable future, China's navy will surely achieve the strategic goal of "going out," and the days when imperialism vainly attempted to control China's development through sea power will be gone forever.