Mon January, 2021, Age: 3 years
Satellite images from last month show progress on the construction of a new dry dock facility at the PLAN’s Sanya, Hainan naval base, which will be large enough to host China’s new Type 003 aircraft carrier. Construction of the dock began in 2016 and now appears close to completion. The new facilities must be viewed in the context of the existing naval bases on Hainan. Assets include nuclear submarines, conventional submarines and a large surface fleet. So the new facilities are part of a shift toward the South China Sea.