China's navy commissioned its biggest and most advanced surface warship yet, the Nanchang guided-missile destroyer, on Sunday morning in the port city of Qingdao, state media reported.
Observers say the commissioning of China's first 10,000-ton-class Type 055 destroyer, which is expected to accompany aircraft carriers in battle groups, is a step forward as Beijing seeks to operate farther from its shores and punch farther into the western Pacific.
Launched in June 2017, its commissioning marks the navy's leap from the third generation to the fourth generation of destroyers, the navy said in a statement.