Commentary: Chinese ocean presence a must for peaceful development

In the naval sail-by of an international fleet off the coast of Qingdao in the Yellow Sea, 50 warships met up Thursday to seek a harmonious ocean, the same goal of another group of navies massed through international cooperation in the Gulf of Aden.

Marking the Navy's 60th anniversary amid an economic slowdown can redeem national pride in the waters where corrupted and occlusive Qing Empire left a history of humiliation for bending to overseas colonists aboard gunboats.

During seven voyages by Zheng He (1371-1433), China's own Christopher Columbus-like navigator, what was then the largest flotilla in the world imposed neither a colonial treaty nor claimed a piece of soil.

An increasing presence offshore China's 18,000-kilometer mainland coastline might raise concerns among neighbors. However, it is imperative for the world's fastest-growing economy, which must -- despite the global downturn -- protect its cargo and awake citizens to its sea power.

The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea truly endows China with the right to claim maritime interests, but the country cannot shirk its obligation to acquire the military power to secure those rights.

With President Hu Jintao aboard the inspection warship in the fleet review, the Navy took a new step forward in shouldering more responsibility for the nation's peaceful development.

Editor:Liu Anqi