China has confirmed it has no plans to send military vessels to Syria to fight with Russian forces after reports in overseas media indicated it was planning to do so.

Chinese media picked up Russian and Middle Eastern news reports that China would fight alongside Russia in Syria, and that China’s sole aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, could participate too. We reported that this was not going to happen, at the time.

Chinese, most Western and Middle Eastern media described these reports as “speculative nonsense”.

The incredibly notorious ‘DEBKAfile’ claimed that the Liaoning had passed through the Suez Canal recently, this was not the case.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a daily news briefing:

“I can tell you that as for China’s warships, for example the Liaoning, whether it has gone to join, for this issue, as far as I know, there is no such plan. At this time the Liaoning is in a phase of carrying out technical training and military exercises.”

A Chinese naval expert had also dismissed reports that the People’s Liberation Army Navy is sending an aircraft carrier to Syria to assist in the fight against Islamic State.

Many media outlets picked up a report from the news website Al-Masdar, which cited a Syrian army official as stating that a Chinese carrier is on its way to Syria.

George Allison
George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison

38 COMMENTS

  1. We need to build an Army of at least 250,000 ground forces, double size of Royal Navy to include 4 Aircraft Carriers, have land Nuclear and Cruise Missiles, get the ships built quickly by using all these benefit scrounging Migrants! We need to be a military power once more or Russia and over communist will continue to dictate to the world which consist of the weakest Western Leaders in History

    • The UK already has greater at-range power projection capability than Russia, what use would half of those things on your list be?

      Using migrants to build ships strikes me as the ranting of someone who has no idea how the defence industry works.

    • With the advances of technology the british armed dont really need a big military man power alone no longer wins wars but the technology we have does our brave lads and woman are ready for anything thrown at them

    • That is a fantasy when we have so many weak leaders in the world but I am not saying that is a reality I am saying, the reality is we have no influence and to many people are blind to the threats of communism especially Russia

    • Mmmmm even if russia did attack the uk direct we could more than hold them until the rest of nato counter attacked. Dont forget russia would not just be attack us they would be declaring war on nato and that is a war russia could not win.

    • Greater at range projection, they have 1000 times more nuclear power plus many more missles, ships and men. People can be trained to help at least build parts. Those things on my list would be very useful. Seems as russia is using their fleet to dictate on Syria and anyways at least if we have a big navy we can prevent an invasion of Britain. The world has not learnt from 1930s France had a the biggest Army in Europe and Britain was not doing too bad itself but the leaders then still decided to appease Hitler who had a few semi trained men. We could of wiped them out. Just as we could of finished off Russia during the 80s and 90s. Their military was outdated and going to ruin, Us and USA were the to most powerful nations in the world. My motto be ready and stop enemies before they become near impossible to stop.

    • “Greater at range projection, they have 1000 times more nuclear power plus many more missles, ships and men.” – You realise that I said power projection, right? That’s the ability to deploy and sustain forces far from their home base. Russia has more men in total, we have the ability to deploy more men however. I suggest you read up on what ‘power projection’ means.

      “People can be trained to help at least build parts. Those things on my list would be very useful.” – You do not work in the industry and to be frank, that comment was stupid.

      “Seems as russia is using their fleet to dictate on Syria” – We have more vessels and aircraft in the region, you realise that region?

      “if we have a big navy we can prevent an invasion of Britain.” – Who is going to invade Britain and with what specific amphibious assault vessels? Russia do not have the equipment to conduct an opposed landing.

      “The world has not learnt from 1930s France had a the biggest Army in Europe and Britain was not doing too bad itself but the leaders then still decided to appease Hitler who had a few semi trained men. We could of wiped them out.” – Hitler had a “few semi trained men” in 1930? Jesus wept.

      “Just as we could of finished off Russia during the 80s and 90s. Their military was outdated and going to ruin, Us and USA were the to most powerful nations in the world. My motto be ready and stop enemies before they become near impossible to stop.” – So, destroy Russia for no other reason than you don’t trust them… please stick to Wildlife Rescue.

    • Higher- are you in a computer game, Putin clicks his fingers and everyone including us jumps to his tune. Syria he vetoed Military Action against Assad so even though he clealry gassed his own people we let him get away with it now Russia are attacking rebel forces and what are we doing? Nothing. We should respond by attacking Assads forces but we wont as everyone just seems scared of 1 Man who we have ample opportunity to assassinate in the last couple of years.

    • But then youll know that it all come to politics with russia they arent that stupid to try anything they may do this and that to flex its muscles but realistically russia is a bully trapped in a corner it has nothing to do wirh military might uts to what governtment has the bifgest brass balls and that is firmly in britains quarter evert now and then they slip just slightly beyond the half way lune but quikly snached back our influence its far greater.

    • “Higher- are you in a computer game, Putin clicks his fingers and everyone including us jumps to his tune.” – Cite an example please. Oh and no, not a “computer game”, don’t be silly.

      “Syria he vetoed Military Action against Assad” – You realise we voted against it too, right?

      “so even though he clealry gassed his own people we let him get away with it now Russia are attacking rebel forces and what are we doing? Nothing.” – Our parliament voted against action in Syria, we are governed by law.

    • But then youll know that it all come to politics with russia they arent that stupid to try anything they may do this and that to flex its muscles but realistically russia is a bully trapped in a corner it has nothing to do with military might its to see what governtment has the biggest brass balls and that is firmly in britains quarter evert now and then they slip just slightly beyond the half way line but quikly snached back our influence its far greater.

    • Eamonn they may have a bigger force but it means nothing unless the caught the uk unaware and landed them with no resistant and that is impossible, there only other option would be to move through europe and take complete control this again would not work as it would give nato even more time to respond. As for nukes even putin isnt that daft he knows russia along with rest of the world would be destroyed.

  2. Eamonn,so many of your comments are badly informed,I’m not trying to be rude but you’ve got the wrong information to base your views on

  3. Eamonn Griffin,

    Please do some “proper” research on what makes a country powerful and what makes a country scary. Russia are like retards on steriods. We do not need to match their numbers to beat them. For example the Type 45 and Astute. Russia have nothing to combat these. Their only aircraft carrier is a sack of shit which just broke down again. Their economy will crash before they can maintain any sort of all out attack on NATO.

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