Editing People's Liberation Army Navy (section)

===1990s and 2000s===
As the 21st century approached, the PLAN began to transition to an [[Green-water navy|off-shore defensive strategy]] that entailed more [[Blue-water navy|out-of-area operations]] away from its traditional territorial waters.<ref name="navy2007">{{cite book |title = China's Navy 2007|author = Office of Naval Intelligence |year= 2008 |publisher=U.S. Navy |location= Washington, DC |oclc = 85895158 |pages = 23–30 |url = https://fas.org/irp/agency/oni/chinanavy2007.pdf |access-date=25 February 2010|author-link = Office of Naval Intelligence }}</ref>{{rp|23–30}}  From 1990 to 2002, [[Jiang Zemin]]'s military reforms placed particular emphasis on the Navy.<ref name=":Li">{{Cite book |last=Li |first=Xiaobing |title=China under Xi Jinping: A New Assessment |publisher=[[Leiden University Press]] |year=2024 |isbn=9789087284411 |editor-last=Fang |editor-first=Qiang |chapter=Beijing's Military Power and East Asian-Pacific Hot Spots |editor-last2=Li |editor-first2=Xiaobing}}</ref>{{Rp|page=261}}

Between 1989 and 1993, the training ship ''Zhenghe'' paid ports visits to Hawaii, Thailand, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India.  PLAN vessels visited Vladivostok in 1993, 1994, 1995, and 1996.  PLAN task groups also paid visits to Indonesia in 1995; North Korea in 1997; New Zealand, Australia, and the Philippines in 1998; Malaysia, Tanzania, South Africa, the United States, and Canada in 2000; and India, Pakistan, France, Italy, Germany, Britain, Hong Kong, Australia, and New Zealand in 2001.<ref name="navy2007" />{{rp|114}}

In March 1997, the [[Type 052 destroyer|''Luhu''-class guided missile destroyer]] ''Harbin'', the [[Type 051 destroyer|''Luda''-class guided missile destroyer]] ''[[Zhuhai]]'', and the [[Fusu class replenishment ship|replenishment oiler]] ''Nancang'' began the PLA Navy's first circumnavigation of the Pacific Ocean, a 98-day voyage with port visits to Mexico, Peru, Chile, and the United States, including [[Pearl Harbor Naval Base|Pearl Harbor]] and [[Naval Base San Diego|San Diego]].  The flotilla was under the command of [[Jiang (rank)|Vice Admiral]] Wang Yongguo, the commander-in-chief of the South Sea Fleet.<ref name="navy2007"/>{{rp|114}}<ref>{{cite web | last= Dengfeng | first= Wu | title= Deep Blue Defense – A Modern Force at Sea| url= http://www.chinapictorial.com.cn/en/focus/txt/2009-04/07/content_190344.htm | year= 2009 | work=Focus | publisher=China Pictorial | access-date=25 February 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title= China's Maritime Territorial Claims: Implications for U.S. Interests |last1= Dumbaugh |first1= Kerry |author2=Richard Cronin |author3=Shirley Kan |author4=Larry Niksch |author5=David M. Ackerman |date= 2 February 2009 | orig-year = 12 November 2001 |publisher=[[Congressional Research Service|Congressional Research Service (CRS)]] |location= Washington, DC |pages= CRS–32 |url= http://web.mit.edu/kolya/.f/root/net.mit.edu/sipb.mit.edu/contrib/wikileaks-crs/wikileaks-crs-reports/RL31183.pdf |oclc=48670022 |access-date=2 March 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title= Naval strategy in Northeast Asia: geo-strategic goals, policies, and prospects |last= Kim |first= Duk-ki |year= 2000 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location= New York City |isbn= 0-7146-4966-X |page= 152 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=9ReJ6RvoeREC&q=Zhuhai%20Nancang%201997&pg=PA152 |access-date=2 March 2010 }}</ref>

The [[Type 052 destroyer|''Luhu''-class guided missile destroyer]] ''Qingdao'' and the [[replenishment oiler]] ''Taicang'' completed the PLA Navy's first circumnavigation of the world ''(pictured)'', a 123-day voyage covering {{convert|32000|nmi|km mi}} between 15 May – 23 September 2002.  Port visits included Changi, Singapore; [[Alexandria, Egypt]]; [[Aksis]], Turkey; [[Sevastopol, Ukraine|Sevastopol]], Ukraine; [[Piraeus, Greece|Piraeus]], Greece; [[Lisbon]], Portugal; [[Fortaleza, Brazil|Fortaleza]], Brazil; [[Guayaquil, Ecuador|Guayaquil]], Ecuador; [[Callao, Peru|Callao]], Peru; and [[Papeete]] in [[French Polynesia]].  The PLA naval vessels participated in naval exercises with the [[French Navy|French]] frigates {{ship|French frigate|Nivôse||2}} and {{ship|French frigate|Prairial||2}}, as well as exercises with the [[Peruvian Navy]].  The flotilla was under the command of Vice Admiral Ding Yiping, the commander-in-chief of the North Sea Fleet, and [[Xiao (rank)|Captain]] Li Yujie was the commanding officer of the ''Qingdao''.<ref name="navy2007" />{{rp|114–115}}<ref>{{cite book |title= Japan's sea lane security, 1940–2004: a matter of life and death? |last= Graham |first= Euan |year= 2005 |publisher=Institute/Routledge Japanese Studies |location= New York |isbn= 0-415-35640-7 |page= 208 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=2002: Chinese naval ships made first round -the-world sailing |url=http://english.pladaily.com.cn/site2/special-reports/2008-11/27/content_1608384.htm |work=Yearly Focus |publisher=PLA Daily |date=8 October 2008 |access-date=2 March 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726143605/http://english.pladaily.com.cn/site2/special-reports/2008-11/27/content_1608384.htm |archive-date=26 July 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title= Chinese Naval Fleet Concludes Visit to Turkey | url= http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200206/23/eng20020623_98395.shtml | work=World News | publisher=[[People's Daily Online]] | date= 24 June 2002 | access-date=2 March 2009}}</ref>

Overall, between 1985 and 2006, PLAN naval vessels visited 18 Asian-Pacific nations, 4 South American nations, 8 European nations, 3 African nations, and 3 North American nations.<ref name="navy2007" />{{rp|115}}  In 2003, the PLAN conducted its first joint naval exercises during separate visits to Pakistan and India. Bi-lateral naval exercises were also carried out with exercises with the French, British, Australian, Canadian, Philippine, and United States navies.<ref name="navy2007" />{{rp|116}}

On 26 December 2008, the PLAN dispatched a task group consisting of the [[Type 052C destroyer|guided missile destroyer ''Haikou'']] (flagship), the [[Type 052B destroyer|guided missile destroyer ''Wuhan'']], and the supply ship [[Qiandaohu class replenishment ship|''Weishanhu'']] to the [[Gulf of Aden]] to participate in [[Piracy in Somalia|anti-piracy operations]] off the coast of Somalia.  A team of 16 [[People's Liberation Army Special Operations Forces|Chinese Special Forces]] members from its Marine Corps armed with attack helicopters were on board.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2008/200812/20081223/article_385590.htm |title=China to add special forces, helicopters to fight pirates |newspaper=Shanghai Daily |date=23 December 2008 |access-date=27 March 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090427130007/http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2008/200812/20081223/article_385590.htm |archive-date=27 April 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.defencetalk.com/news/publish/navy/China_ready_to_use_force_on_Somali_pirates120016822.php |title=China ready to use force on Somali pirates |publisher=Defencetalk.com |date=23 December 2008 |access-date=27 March 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090226034054/http://defencetalk.com/news/publish/navy/China_ready_to_use_force_on_Somali_pirates120016822.php |archive-date=26 February 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1= Erikson |first1= Andrew R.  | first2= Justine D. | last2=Mikolay|date=March 2009 |title= Welcome China to the Fight Against Pirates |journal=[[U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings]] |volume= 135 |issue= 3 |pages= 34–41 |issn= 0041-798X |url= http://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/story.asp?STORY_ID=1809 |access-date=20 April 2009 |quote= Access requires registration. }}</ref> Since then, China has maintained a three-ship [[flotilla]] of two warships and one supply ship in the [[Gulf of Aden]] by assigning ships to the [[Gulf of Aden]] on a three monthly basis. Other recent PLAN incidents include the 2001 [[Hainan Island incident]], a [[Chinese submarine 361|major submarine accident]] in 2003, and naval incidents involving the U.S. [[Military Sealift Command|MSC-operated]] ocean surveillance ships {{USNS|Victorious|T-AGOS-19|2}} and {{USNS|Impeccable|T-AGOS-23|2}} during 2009. At the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the PLAN, 52 to 56 vessels were shown in manoeuvres off Qingdao in April 2009 including previously unseen nuclear submarines.<ref name=FT/><ref>{{cite news|last=Niu|first=Guang|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-163269450.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904012849/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-163269450.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 September 2015|title=The Chinese Navy missile destroyer 116 Shijiazhuang (3rd L),...|agency=Agence France-Presse|date=23 April 2009|access-date=12 June 2015|url-access=}}</ref>

The demonstration was seen as a sign of the growing status of China, while the [[Chairman of the Central Military Commission (China)|CMC chairman]], [[Hu Jintao]], indicated that China is neither seeking regional hegemony nor entering an arms race.<ref name=FT>{{cite news|last=Hille|first=Kathrin|url=http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/261df28e-3067-11de-88e3-00144feabdc0.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/261df28e-3067-11de-88e3-00144feabdc0.html |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription| title=China's show of sea power challenges US| newspaper=[[Financial Times]] |date=24 April 2009|access-date=12 June 2015}}</ref>
Predictions by Western analysts that the PLAN would outnumber the USN submarine force as early as 2011 have failed to come true because the PRC curtailed both imports and domestic production of submarines.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://medium.com/war-is-boring/fe95f67327fa|title=China's Overhyped Sub Threat|first=David|last=Axe|work=Medium|access-date=25 December 2014}}</ref>