【US media: China's new Type 055 destroyers join the command system for the Taiwan Strait】
According to a report by US Naval Institute News (USNI News) on March 11, 2026: According to recent official Chinese media reports, the Chinese Navy has newly received two Type 055 missile destroyers and has assigned them to the command organization responsible for dealing with potential situations in the Taiwan Strait to carry out missions.
The 10,000-ton destroyers "Dongguan" (Hull number 109) and "Anqing" (Hull number 110) made their first public appearance in last week's state media programs. They are among the most powerful surface combat ships currently in service in the People's Liberation Army Navy. Each can carry 112 vertical launch system (VLS) cells, mainly responsible for commanding and protecting the increasingly growing aircraft carrier battle groups.
Since the first ship "Nanchang" (Hull number 101) joined the fleet in 2020, China has built 10 Type 055 destroyers and plans to expand the number of this class to at least 16. The Dalian and Jiangnan Shipyard are still building more ships of the same class.
Western analysts believe that "Dongguan" and "Anqing" may be the first ships of the second batch of Type 055s. China's official media, Global Times, emphasized that these new ships may have undergone upgrades to enhance the defense capabilities of future aircraft carrier strike groups.
Notably, "Dongguan" and "Anqing" are the first Type 055 destroyers assigned to the command of the East Sea Fleet of the People's Liberation Army Navy. Previously, Type 055 destroyers were only deployed under the Southern Theater Command and Northern Theater Command Navies. The East Sea Fleet's area of responsibility includes the Taiwan Strait and disputed territories with Japan, and its fighter jets, bombers, missile forces, and ship formations often conduct drills in these hotspot waters. Before this, the 052D destroyer - a modern destroyer widely used in the Chinese Navy but with slightly inferior performance - was the most advanced destroyer in the region.
In addition to stronger air defense capabilities, the Type 055 can also perform hypersonic strike missions against ground and maritime targets, equipped with the new hypersonic anti-ship ballistic missile "YJ-20". According to a report by Jane's Defence Weekly, the YJ-20 has a range of 1,500 to 2,000 kilometers. In addition, the ship's domestically produced vertical launch units can also accommodate long-range "YJ-18" anti-ship cruise missiles and "CJ-10" land-attack cruise missiles. The Type 055 destroyer "Wuxi" (Hull number 104) had already tested-fired this type of missile at sea target range in December last year, just a few months after its debut at the 2025 Chinese military parade.
Deploying China's most advanced surface vessels to the East Sea Fleet, which focuses on the Taiwan Strait and Japan, could complicate Washington's response to sudden situations. With strong regional denial capabilities, the Type 055 can effectively support the East Sea Fleet in launching joint firepower strikes and countering external intervention forces in case of conflict in the Taiwan Strait, including possible support provided by the United States and its allies in the Western Pacific to Taipei.
Statement: The above equipment data comes from a report by US Naval Institute News.
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Original: toutiao.com/article/1859405695493194/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.