China launched its newest warship on Wednesday, a large guided-missile destroyer touted as the latest in naval technology and seen as a challenge to naval rivals in Asia.
The ship, dubbed the Type 055 class, represents a big step in the country's military modernization, Chinese government websites pointed out.
"It is the symbol of the navy to achieve strategic transformation development," the People's Liberation Army Navy website said.
The 10,000-ton destroyer has been developed entirely in China, and it breaks new ground for the country in the design and assembly of large naval vessels, according to the PLA Navy website. The armaments are also new for the Chinese navy.
"The destroyer is equipped with new type of air defense, anti-missile, anti-ship and anti-submarine warfare weapon," according to the website.
The new ship is comparable in size to the latest destroyers fielded in Asian waters by the United States, Japan and South Korea, analysts have said.
Indian media reports have raised alarms over the launch, pointing out the destroyer is superior to any ship yet completed by the Indian Navy.
"The colossal Type 055 is considerably larger and more powerful than India's latest ... destroyers which have still not been commissioned," .
The Type 055 will weigh 13,000 tons when fully fitted out with its weapon systems and commissioned, making it the country's largest destroyer, Li Jie, a researcher with the PLA Naval Military Academic Research Institute, said in a February article on the PLA's website.
China launched its newest warship on Wednesday, a large guided-missile destroyer touted as the latest in naval technology and seen as a challenge to naval rivals in Asia.
