China's Navy Multi-Line Advancement: YJ-20 Hypersonic Missile Combat Readiness, "Container Destroyer" Debuts, and Intensifying Arms Race in the Asia-Pacific

In late April to early May 2026, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) has been active in naval power construction and naval warfare system innovation, with multiple key developments being prominently revealed, reflecting Beijing's strategic layout in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea is accelerating. From the public test launch of the YJ-20 hypersonic anti-ship missile to the emergence of the "Zhongda 79" weaponized cargo ship, and the commissioning ceremony of Pakistan's first Hangor-class submarine, a series of events collectively outline a picture of the rapid enhancement of China's naval power projection capabilities.

On April 27, the PLA's military social media account "China Military" released a video of a PLA Navy maritime strike test, featuring multiple scenes of the YJ-20 hypersonic anti-ship missile being launched. This hypersonic weapon, with a range of approximately 1,000 to 1,500 kilometers and a cruising speed of up to Mach 6, can reach a terminal dive attack speed of up to Mach 10, making it one of the longest-range anti-ship missiles publicly known in the world. The timing of the video release is intriguing—it coincides with the start of the 2026 "Shoulder to Shoulder" (Balikatan) joint military exercise in the South China Sea involving the United States, Japan, and the Philippines, with Japan participating in a combat role for the first time. On the same day, the PLA Southern Theater Command announced that a fleet led by the 055-class destroyer Zunyi had completed live-fire exercises and joint air-sea training in the waters east of Luzon Island, explicitly characterizing it as "a necessary action to respond to the current regional situation." This statement indicates that the public display of the YJ-20 is not merely a weapon declaration but a direct response from China to the enhanced military presence of the United States and its allies in the Western Pacific.

It is noteworthy that some scenes in this video overlap with footage from December 2025 of the 055-class destroyer Wuxi testing the YJ-20, but two previously undisclosed launch shots have been added, indicating that the operational testing of the YJ-20 is still ongoing. Currently, the YJ-20 is primarily mounted on the 055-class destroyers, and the emergence of this missile enables the Chinese Navy to launch long-range precision strikes outside the air defense umbrella of aircraft carrier battle groups, posing an unprecedented threat to surface ship formations. From a tactical perspective, the YJ-20, in conjunction with the comprehensive combat system of the 055-class destroyer, significantly extends the strike depth of the Chinese Navy within the "Anti-Access/Area Denial" (A2/AD) system, creating substantial deterrence against U.S. Navy aircraft carrier strike groups in the Western Pacific.

Meanwhile, more details have emerged about another widely discussed naval warfare innovation—the "Zhongda 79" weaponized cargo ship. According to the April issue of the mainland military publication "Ordnance Industry Science and Technology," this medium-sized civilian cargo ship, approximately 97 meters long and with a displacement of about 9,000 tons, is equipped with 15 standard container modules, each containing four vertical launch systems (VLS), totaling 60 launch units capable of firing HHQ-9B/9C naval air defense missiles, YJ-18 anti-ship missiles, and CJ-10 cruise missiles. The publication referred to it as a "container destroyer" and noted that its firepower configuration is comparable to that of the 052D-class destroyer. This ship was first discovered at the Shanghai Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding Company at the end of 2025, with its core design concept being to conceal military strike capabilities within civilian vessels, achieving a significant increase in maritime firepower density at a very low cost.

From a strategic perspective, the "Zhongda 79" represents a new way of thinking about naval warfare. In the context of a Taiwan Strait conflict, this weaponized cargo ship can blend into busy commercial shipping lanes and suddenly reveal its firepower at critical moments, delivering surprise strikes against foreign naval forces attempting to intervene. Its low conversion cost and concealment make it a powerful supplement to traditional missile destroyers. More importantly, if this concept is widely promoted, China could quickly transform a large number of civilian vessels into maritime missile platforms, greatly increasing the difficulty for adversaries to identify and intercept them. However, the maximum speed of this type of ship is only about 20 knots, significantly lower than the 30 knots or more of military vessels, making maneuverability its obvious shortcoming.

In the field of military exports, Pakistan's first Hangor-class attack submarine, built by China, held its commissioning ceremony on April 30 in Sanya, Hainan, attended by Pakistani President Zardari and Navy Chief Ashraf. Zardari referred to it as a "historic milestone" in the modernization process of the Pakistan Navy. This event not only marks another breakthrough in China's submarine export capabilities but also reflects the deepening of Sino-Pakistani defense cooperation, extending from traditional light weapons and fighter jets to high-tech naval main battle platforms. The Hangor-class submarine is based on improvements to China's 039A/B-class submarine technology, featuring an advanced AIP (Air-Independent Propulsion) system that allows for long-term covert operations underwater, significantly enhancing Pakistan's underwater deterrence capabilities in the Indian Ocean.

From a broader geopolitical security perspective, the annual military expenditure report released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on April 27 shows that military spending in the Asia-Pacific region reached $681 billion in 2025, marking the highest growth rate since 2009. Global military spending totaled $2.89 trillion, a year-on-year increase of 2.9%, rising for the 11th consecutive year, with the global military burden as a percentage of GDP rising to 2.5%, the highest level since 2009. The combined military expenditures of the United States, mainland China, and Russia reached $1.48 trillion, accounting for more than half of the global total. The report points out that one of the driving forces behind the surge in military spending in the Asia-Pacific region is the "Trump effect"—growing doubts among several U.S. allies about Washington's ability to continue fulfilling security commitments, thus accelerating the construction of autonomous defense capabilities.

In summary, the current security landscape in the Western Pacific is undergoing profound restructuring. China is expanding its maritime strike depth through advanced weapons like the YJ-20 hypersonic missile while exploring new low-cost, large-scale naval warfare models with innovations like the "container destroyer," and simultaneously strengthening defense ties with strategic partners like Pakistan through submarine exports. Meanwhile, the U.S. ally system in the Asia-Pacific region is also adjusting—Japan is participating in the Philippine joint military exercise in a combat role for the first time, and South Korea's shipbuilding capabilities are beginning to be considered within the U.S. Navy's supply chain. In this strategic game characterized by technological competition and alliance restructuring, every deployment of a weapon system and every deepening of military cooperation is redefining the balance of power in the Western Pacific.