Writing in the official English-language China Daily on April 22 on the occasion of the PLA Navy's 65th anniversary, Zhang Junshe, Researcher and Deputy Head of the Naval Research Institute, PLA, said that the Chinese Navy had modernised equipment and raised technological standards. It had developed latest generation destroyers comparable to Japan's Akizuki Class and the Type 054 frigate which are comparable to France's La Fayette class.

He also justified China's not inviting Japan to the Fleet Review ceremony at Qingdao. Acknowledging that the US had declined to participate as a gesture to appease Japan, he pointed out that the US continued to pay attention to the 14th Western Pacific Naval Symposium as evidenced by it's sending a delegation of dozens of people -- the largest among all 25 delegations -- headed by two 4-star Admirals. He concluded that the US has not changed it's policy of balancing relations between China and Japan and said this will continue for a long time.