hinese sailors hail the departure of one of three navy ships that are now in the Philippines, as part of a public relations tour to over 20 countries.By Steve Micallef*
Since the beginning of the 21st century the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has steadily developed into a blue-water force able to rely on an ever increasing amount of modern equipment and platforms. This has been the result of years of intense effort on the part of naval planners in support of a more-forward oriented Chinese foreign and security policy.
