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The People's Liberation Army Navy, also known as the Chinese Navy, PLA Navy or PLAN, is the naval warfare branch of the People's Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Communist Party of China and, by default, the national armed forces of the People's Republic of China. The PLAN can trace its lineage to naval units fighting during the Chinese Civil War and was established on 23 April 1949. Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, the Soviet Union provided assistance to the PLAN in the form of naval advisers and export of equipment and technology. Until the late 1980s, the PLAN was largely a riverine and littoral force. However, by the 1990s, following the fall of the Soviet Union and a shift towards a more forward-oriented foreign and security policy, the leaders of the Chinese military were freed from worrying over land border disputes. Having traditionally been subordinated to the PLA Ground Force, PLAN leaders were able to advocate for a renewed attention towards the seas.
The People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison is a garrison of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), responsible for defence duties in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) since the sovereignty of Hong Kong was transferred to China in 1997. Prior to the handover of Hong Kong, the territory was under British rule, and the defence of Hong Kong was the responsibility of the British Forces Overseas Hong Kong, with auxiliary help from the Royal Hong Kong Regiment.
The submarine hull number No. 361 named The Great Wall #61 (长城61号) was a Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy Type-035AIP conventional diesel/electric submarine. In April 2003, during an exercise in the Yellow Sea between North Korea and China's Shandong Province, the vessel suffered a mechanical failure that killed all 70 crew members on board. It was one of China's worst peacetime military disasters. The PLA Navy's Commander Shi Yunsheng and Political Commissar Yang Huaiqing were both dismissed as a result of the accident.
The Southern Theater Command Navy, or the South Sea Fleet is one of the three fleets of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy, operating in the South China Sea under the Southern Theater Command. It is headquartered in Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province. The flagship of the SSF is the AOR/AK Nanchang (953).
Wu Shengli is a retired Chinese admiral who served as Commander of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) from 2006 to 2017. Prior to that, he served as PLA's Deputy Chief of Staff, Commander of the South Sea Fleet, and President of Dalian Naval Academy.
Ma Faxiang was a Chinese vice admiral who served as Deputy Political Commissar of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). He came under investigation for corruption and committed suicide in November 2014.
Ding Yi is a naval aviator and vice admiral of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). He has served as Deputy Commander of the PLAN since 2013.
Du Jingchen is a retired vice-admiral of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) of China. He served as Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff of the PLAN, and commander of the East Sea Fleet.
Xu Hongmeng is a retired vice-admiral of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) of China. He served as Deputy Commander of the PLAN and Commander of the East Sea Fleet.
Gu Wengen is a retired vice-admiral of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) of China. He served as Deputy Commander of the PLAN and Commander of the South Sea Fleet.
Ding Yiping is a retired vice-admiral of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) of China. He served as Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff of the PLAN, and Commander of the North Sea Fleet. He was groomed to be the candidate for PLAN Commander, but was demoted following the fatal submarine 361 accident in 2003.
Zhang Yongyi is a retired naval aviator and vice admiral of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). He served as a Deputy Commander of the PLAN from 2004 to 2013.
Ding Haichun is a vice admiral of China's People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). He has been a Deputy Political Commissar of the PLAN since December 2014.
Wang Dengping is a vice admiral of China's People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). He has been a Deputy Political Commissar of the PLAN since December 2014, and formerly served as Political Commissar of the PLAN's North Sea Fleet and South Sea Fleet. He has been described as having hawkish views regarding China's territorial disputes.
Cen Xu is a vice admiral of China's People's Liberation Army Navy. He has been assistant to the director of the PLA General Political Department since January 2013, and formerly served as a Deputy Political Commissar of the PLA Navy and Political Commissar of the Navy's East Sea Fleet.
Bai Wenqi is a Chinese naval aviator who is a lieutenant general of the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) and a former vice admiral of the People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force (PLANAF). He has been the inaugural political commissar of the Northern Theater Command Air Force since its establishment in February 2016. He formerly served as political commissar of the Jinan Military Region Air Force, and political commissar of the North Sea Fleet.
Zhang Dingfa was a submariner and admiral of China's People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), who served as Commander of the PLAN from 2003 to 2006. Prior to that, he served as President of the PLA Academy of Military Science and Commander of the North Sea Fleet.
The Commander of the People's Liberation Army Navy, is the title of the People's Liberation Army officer who serves as the commanding officer of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). The 8th and current, commander of the People's Liberation Army Navy is Vice-Admiral Shen Jinlong.
Wei Jinshan is a Chinese Communist revolutionary and retired vice admiral of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). Starting in 1945, he served for decades in the army under General Xu Shiyou, and became a decorated veteran of the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Chinese Civil War, and the Korean War. He later transferred to the Navy and served as Political Commissar of the PLAN from 1990 to 1993. He was awarded the Medal of Honour by President Xi Jinping and the Order of the National Flag by North Korea.
Yang Zhiliang is a vice admiral (zhongjiang) of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). He has been Political Commissar of the South Sea Fleet since December 2019, and formerly served as Political Commissar of Equipment Department of the People's Liberation Army Navy. He attained the rank of rear admiral (shaojiang) in January 2017, and was promoted to the rank of vice admiral (zhongjiang) in December 2019.
