Chinese President Hu Jintao presided Thursday over an international naval review in the northern port of Qingdao that highlights Beijing's ambitions of becoming a major sea power, AP reported. Ships and naval aircraft from China and 14 other countries took part in the display in the East China Sea, the first-ever hosted by the People's Liberation Army Navy in honor of its 60th anniversary. Hu, who also heads the Communist Party commission that commands the armed forces, announced the start of the display from aboard the Chinese destroyer Shijiazhuang accompanied by the Chinese navy's commander, Adm. Wu Shengli, Defense Minister Liang Guanglie, and other top military brass. Two Chinese nuclear submarines took part, state media said, the first known public display of the potent naval weapons. Earlier in the day, Hu met with U.S. and other foreign naval commanders, telling them China supported increased cooperation among navies to safeguard maritime safety. «Strengthening exchanges between the navies of all countries and embarking on international maritime safety cooperation substantially contributes to the building of harmonious oceans and seas,» Hu said. The president also repeated China's standard position that the country would never threaten other nations or seek regional dominance and that its military «will always be a force for the preservation of world peace and advancement of common development.»
