PLA denies amphibious assault ship targeted at any third party

China's recent unveiling of its largest and most advanced amphibious assault ship is not targeted at any third party, according to a military spokesman.

Senior Colonel Wu Qian, a spokesman for the Defense Ministry, said on Friday in Beijing that China firmly adheres to a peaceful development path and follows policies that are defensive in nature.

The launch of the first Type 076-class amphibious assault ship was a normal arrangement in the hardware development agenda of the People's Liberation Army Navy and was not intended to threaten any target, nation or region, he said when responding to a question about overseas media's concern over the new vessel.

The spokesman said that it is universal practice that a country develops necessary weaponry based on its defense needs. China builds the Type 076-class to safeguard its sovereignty, security and interests and to better protect peace and stability of the world, he added.

China unveiled the first Type 076-class ship in Shanghai in late December, naming it after the southwestern province of Sichuan.

With a hull code of 51, the CNS Sichuan is being built at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co Ltd, a Shanghai-based subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corp, the nation's dominant naval hardware contractor.

According to the Navy, the ship will displace more than 40,000 metric tons of water and will carry fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and amphibious landing craft.

The Navy said that in the next phase, engineers will start outfitting and fine-tuning the vessel's equipment and then conduct mooring tests and sea trials.

Currently, the PLA operates three Type 075 amphibious assault ships, which were named after Hainan province, the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region and Anhui province.

All of the Type 075s were built at Hudong-Zhonghua. The model has a full displacement of nearly 40,000 tons and can carry several helicopters and landing craft, as well as dozens of tanks and armored vehicles.