China unveiled its new corvette Wednesday, according to online and media reports, in a move analysts say will boost the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy's mission of safeguarding territorial waters.
Photos of the new missile corvette, codenamed Type 056, circulated online Wednesday and showed the vessel being lowered into the water. The launch location was said to be the Hudong Shipyard in Shanghai.
"The new corvette is ideal for action in the country's territorial waters, where China's sovereignty claims are contested by countries including Japan and the Philippines," Lan Yun, a defense observer and editor at Modern Ships magazine, told the Global Times.
"The vessel's armament is modest compared to major warships, but it can outgun most rivals expected to be encountered in the South China Sea. It also has a helipad large enough to accommodate the vertical takeoff and landing of unmanned aerial vehicles," Lan said, adding that large numbers of the corvette will be built.
According to the Taipei Times, the first ship of the 056 class is likely to be commissioned at the end of this year. A total of four hulls are known to be under construction, with completion expected to follow soon after the delivery of the lead ship.
The vessel, which is believed to have a replacement between 1,400 to 1,700 tons, features low-radar visibility characteristics, fin stabilization for high seas navigation, a 76mm main gun, anti-ship missile launchers, a launcher for air defense missiles and anti-submarine torpedoes, the newspaper reported.
Wednesday's alleged launch came amid an ongoing standoff between Chinese and Philippine ships near Huangyan Island in the South China Sea. Manila acquired the decommissioned US coast guard cutter Dallas on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Japanese right-wing politicians made headlines in late April when they announced their bid to purchase the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea - a move that drew fierce opposition from Beijing.
The US-based Signal magazine commented that the 056 class corvette will be "a useful addition" to the PLA Navy in operations around Taiwan or the Diaoyu Islands.
It can also be used "in the denial of offshore waters to US submarines and oceanographic surveillance vessels," the magazine added.