One of China's most prominent harbors for naval shipbuilding has rapidly expanded in the past decade, new satellite images show, amid a massive military modernization push by Chinese President Xi Jinping. The Jiangnan Shipyard, located in Shanghai at the mouth of the Yangtze River, was only opened in 2008 but it has already increased by 64%, according to satellite imagery analyzed by Washington-based think tank the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
"Jiangnan is responsible for some of China's most advanced warships ... The assets produced at the shipyard form an important part of the PLAN's (People's Liberation Army Navy's) modernization," Matthew Funaiole, fellow at the CSIS's China Power Project, told CNN. It comes amid a concerted campaign by Beijing, pushed by Xi, to rapidly expand and update China's navy, with 32 ships commissioned in 2016 and 2017 alone, according to US government reports.
