Chinese President Hu Jintao announced the start of a naval parade of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy warships and aircraft on Thursday afternoon aboard a PLA Navy destroyer off the coast of Qingdao.

Hu, also chairman of the Central Military Commission, was accompanied by PLA Navy Commander Admiral Wu Shengli aboard the destroyer Shijiazhuang.

The parade will display 25 naval vessels and 31 aircraft of the PLA Navy, including at least one of the country's nuclear submarines, as part of a celebration to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the PLA Navy.

Four submarines came first in the parade. Two are nuclear-powered, the Long March 6 and the Long March 3, and two are conventionally-powered, the Great Wall 218 and the Great Wall 177. This is the first public appearance of the PLA nuclear submarines.

An international fleet inspection involving 21 foreign vessels from 14 countries will be held after the PLA naval parade.

(Xinhua News Agency April 23, 2009)