China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) commissioned another Dongdiao class intelligence-gathering ship on 10 January during a ceremony in Qingdao. Dubbed Kaiyangxing, the vessel was built at Shanghai’s Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard. The vessel
will be deployed in PLAN’s North Sea Fleet. The first Dongdiao class was first commissioned in 1999 and six vessels of this class are currently in service with PLAN.