China has escalated its war of words by branding American and Japanese destroyers as ‘enemy vessels.’
The People’s Liberation Army made the unprecedented peacetime move in an information display set up for an open day at the country’s navy.
The sign onboard the Nanjing Type 052D guided-missile destroyer, which is part of the PLA Navy’s Eastern Theatre Command whose main role is to aggressively patrol the Taiwan Strait, said the Chinese vessel was able to ‘strike large and medium-sized enemy surface vessels such as the US Arleigh Burke-class and Japan‘s Atago-class destroyers.’
The sign further claimed that the vessel was able to use ‘supersonic trajectories, possessing a high penetration probability and accuracy, significantly enhancing the PLA Navy’s maritime dominance capabilities.’
The South China Morning Post reported that while similar displays in years gone by have only listed generic missile specifications, this was the first time American and Japanese ships were labelled as belonging to the ‘enemy.’
The sign was spotted on the same day the USS William P. Lawrence, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, was seen transiting through the Taiwan Strait.
And it comes the week the Royal Navy’s £3.5billion flagship has set sail on its eight-month mission to the Far East as part of a huge military show of force that could see it clashing with China.
Crowds cheered as HMS Prince of Wales departed her home of Portsmouth to lead an international maritime strike group which aims to send a ‘powerful message’ that Britain ‘means business’.
The People’s Liberation Army made the unprecedented peacetime move in an information display set up for an open day at the country’s navy
The sign was spotted on the same day the USS William P. Lawrence, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, (pictured) was seen transiting through the Taiwan Strait
The 65,000-tonne aircraft carrier – the biggest vessel ever built for the Senior Service – will lead a coalition of British, Norwegian and Canadian warships on operations in the Mediterranean, Middle East, south-east Asia, Japan and Australia.
While the Government has not confirmed the precise route of ‘Operation Highmast’ – the codename for the deployment – the Navy has not ruled out sailing through the contentious 110-mile wide Taiwan Strait.
The mission comes amid mounting fears that China is planning to launch a full-scale invasion of the island, with Beijing’s military having already drilled huge D-Day style assaults of Taiwan using soldiers, marines, warships and its air force.
And as tensions continue to intensify, the commander of the British-led carrier strike group has insisted the Royal Navy stands ready to defy China – and that it is prepared for any sort of military operation.
‘I will deliver whatever mission I am ordered to go and do – that’s my role,’ a defiant Commodore James Blackmore told the Telegraph ahead of the UK task group’s deployment.
‘My part of the bargain is being ready for all eventualities from a combat capability, from a defence engagement capability, from a partners and allies capability, so I’m ready to exercise whatever the Government or the Ministry of Defence asks me to do.’
Thousands of families and well-wishers lined the harbour walls at Portsmouth to wave off the £3.5billion naval leviathan, which will be accompanied from the navy base by Type 45 destroyer HMS Dauntless.
Banners and flags were waved by members of the public from the walls and beach of Portsmouth harbour with sailors aboard the 65,000-tonne warship waving back to cheers from the crowds as they passed.
Sailors were all smiles as they lined up on the aircraft carrier’s vast four-acre flight deck to wave goodbye to loved ones
Further west in Plymouth, and frigate HMS Richmond was waved off by families as it departed the city to join the carrier group
Commodore James Blackmore is leading the UK Carrier Strike Group. He is pictured on the flight deck of HMS Prince of Wales
In a tribute to the Pope Francis, HMS Prince of Wales’s ensign flag on its flight deck was at half-mast as a ‘sign of a respect’ to the late pontiff, a navy spokesman confirmed.
The ships will then be joined by two Norwegian vessels – tanker HNoMS Maud and frigate HNoMS Roald Amundsen – as well as the UK and Canadian frigates HMS Richmond and HMCS Ville de Quebec, which are sailing from Plymouth.
The support vessel Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker RFA Tidespring will make up the final ship in the Carrier Strike Group (CSG), which will involve other ships and nations during the deployment called Operation Highmast.
A contingent of 18 UK F-35B jets will join the carrier in the days after departure, with that number increasing to 24 during the deployment.
Also joining will be Merlin Mk2 anti-submarine helicopters from RNAS Culdrose and Merlin Mk4 Commando and Wildcat helicopters from RNAS Yeovilton, as well as an undeclared number of T-150 Malloy and Puma drones.
Cdre Blackmore, 50, said the deployment would send a ‘powerful message’ to allies and potential adversaries about the UK’s naval and air power.
