China's eighth Type 055 destroyer 'Xianyang' makes debut

China's Type 055 stealth guided-missile destroyer Xianyang officially debuted with hull number 108 on April 21. It is the eighth Type 055 destroyer to serve in the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy. This 10,000-tonne destroyer is China's first independently designed and manufactured destroyer, bringing to fruition the PLA Navy's strategic objective of 'offshore waters defense and open seas protection.'