Hu Jintao tells Chinese navy to 'make extended preparations for military combat'

Beijing, Dec 14 (ANI): Chinese President Hu Jintao has reportedly told the nation's navy to 'make extended preparations for military combat.'

As tensions grow over local maritime disputes and US influence in the South China Sea, Jintao told the Central Military Commission that its navy should modernize in the interest of national security.

According to Fox News, China said it is considering an offer from the Seychelles to host Chinese naval ships in the Indian Ocean island nation, highlighting the increasing global reach of a navy that recently launched its first aircraft carrier.

China's military expansion and strong assertions of claims to disputed territory have raised regional concerns, prompting many of China's neighbors to strengthen ties with the US military, which has predominated in the Asia Pacific region.

While Beijing has tried to ease those concerns, it has also asserted its claims with patrols and other physical displays, and on Tuesday dispatched its largest coast guard cutter, the 322-foot Haijian, to the East China Sea. (ANI)