Officially it is a Coast Guard ship. In reality it is an armored carrier with a displacement of 12 thousand tons, able to reach the 25 knots and armed with a main rapid-fire system from 76 millimeters and two secondary turrets (probably anti-aircraft guns from 30mm). Beijing has now completed and is preparing to deploy in the South China Sea, what the Americans call "Monster ship".
The leader of the class, 2901, entered service last year in the East China Sea, where China is involved in a territorial dispute with Japan dating back to the 2008. 3901 photos, published on Chinese military websites, show the platform, now completed, on an unidentified site (probably in one of the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai).
The 3901 platform, should fall into the category of coast guard units, but defining it would be an absurdity considering the dimensions. As an example: the class missile destroyers Arleigh Burke US Navy generally have a displacement of "just" 9.700 tons. Chinese ships are the 50% larger than the class missile cruisers Ticonderoga.
The entry into service of the second unit (mass production is actually underway for a class of six to eight boats and a displacement that could reach 15 thousand tons) will involve the revision of the US strategy to prevent a possible escalation in the Chinese Sea Southern, one of the busiest sea routes in the world. The so-called "white fleet" of the Chinese Coast Guard, is slowly turning into a long-range component that could represent a challenge in the current chessboard in the Region.
The China Coast Guard 3901 was designed to carry two Z-8 multi-role heavy helicopters. The design appears to be an evolution of the low-observability "Jiangdao" class corvettes.
The new Beijing ships are the most impressive platforms ever entered into active service with a Coast Guard. The Chinese have also ousted the Japanese class Shikishima, until a few months ago the largest in the world. Just the existence of the class vectors Shikishima (who patrol the waters surrounding the islands Senkaku), may have prompted China to make these giant carriers.
