China held a launch ceremony for its first Type 075 amphibious assault ship in Shanghai on Wednesday. Photo: 81.cn

The public debut of the Type-075 amphibious assault ship on Wednesday, only a few days ahead of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, "has brought a more festive atmosphere," according to a Chinese Ministry of National Defense spokesperson. 

Ministry spokesperson Ren Guoqiang made the remarks at a routine press conference on Thursday. 

The launch ceremony for the warship was held in Shanghai on Wednesday morning.

According to Ren, a series of tests for the vessel will be carried out next. The schedule will follow the normal testing routine for weaponry and equipment. 

Military observers previously told the Global Times that the Type 075 would become an indispensable and fresh force in China's modern naval warfare, especially for landing missions, and that China and the US are capable of making ships as powerful as the Type 075.

Also during the press conference, Ren revealed that although the scale of the military parade for the upcoming anniversary is larger than before with involvement of more personnel and equipment, the actual financial and material investment for the event has dropped significantly. 

Training and relevant activities for the parade were carried out in a surgical and high efficient way to make sure that every penny and material was well spent, meeting thrifty requirements. Ren said. 

Major General Cai Zhijun, deputy director of the leading group office for the military parade, told journalists at the Tuesday press conference in Beijing that the parade would feature about 15,000 people, 59 phalanxes, 160 aircraft and 580 pieces of weaponry and equipment. 

The parade will take about 80 minutes, and will be the largest in recent years, said Cai.


Newspaper headline: Launch of amphibious warship adds to festive atmosphere: MOD