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The content of this article is based on reliable sources, and the end of the article has been repeated
«——【Preamble】】 ——»
["Unauthorized transportation is prohibited, and offenders will be prosecuted"]
On the morning of November 5, 1986, under the watchful eyes of Chinese soldiers, three US Navy ships slowly sailed into Qingdao, which was the first time in history that the Chinese People's Navy officially received a foreign visiting warship, and the Chinese Government attached great importance to it.
However, during this period, there was also an unpleasant incident: the exchange of military forces between the two countries should have been carried out on an equal basis of mutual respect, but the United States behaved with disdain, at least with contempt.
As a result, veteran General Liu Huaqing immediately made a decisive decision, counterattacked the US rudeness, and withdrew from the honor guard of the three armed services that had been waiting for the scene.
What happened in the meantime?
Let's go back a few years to May 1980, when General Liu Huaqing was invited to lead a delegation to visit the United States, during which he boarded the US aircraft carrier "CV-63 Kitty Hawk" to observe.
However, due to the requirement of military secrecy, the US side did not allow General Liu to enter the interior of the aircraft carrier, nor was it allowed to touch the equipment on the ship, so the following scene occurred:
Under the watchful eye of the US soldiers, the old general leaned slightly, stretched his neck, stood on tiptoe, and looked at it, as if he wanted to pass through the "iron wall" with a pair of naked eyes and see through all the structures inside this aircraft carrier.
This photo has been circulated to this day, every time I see the old general's ignorant and modest figure like a student, it is all emotional, even today, in the context of the Chinese Navy already has three aircraft carriers, the author looks back at this photo, and there are still inexplicable tears in his eyes, and there is an indescribable sadness.
The old general worked hard all his life and dedicated himself to the construction of the Chinese Navy to the last moment of his life, hoping that the Chinese would have their own aircraft carrier until his death.
If it weren't for him, perhaps China would not have had the first aircraft carrier towed back from Ukraine, let alone the later Shandong and Fujian ships.
Unfortunately, the veteran general wanted to witness the birth of the Chinese aircraft carrier with his own eyes, but he passed away on the eve of the launch of the Liaoning.
If the veteran general could see today's China in the spirit of heaven, he would surely feel gratified and look forward to the future of the motherland.
General Liu Huaqing led a military delegation to visit the United States in '80, and the US Navy sent three warships to visit China in '86, which can be regarded as a kind of return gift.
Back in 1986, originally, the old general Liu who received the news of the visit was happy, he attached great importance to this exchange opportunity, and single-handedly managed the visit activities and schedule, after all, our China has been a "country of etiquette" for thousands of years, and if there are guests coming, of course, we must do our best to be the host.
However, the day of the US Navy's visit to Qingdao surprised General Liu, who was receiving him at the port, and although he was not an experienced diplomat, he still noticed at a glance that the sky above the US warship was empty, and there was no fluttering communication flag.
It is important to know that all warships participating in military exchanges and other diplomatic activities should be fully flown their communication flags in accordance with the practice of international etiquette to show respect.
As the world's largest military power at that time, the United States could not have been unaware of this diplomatic code for warships; after the Chinese side inquired about it, the United States not only did not hang it up immediately, but also specially justified its own actions, saying that they had already docked, and it was better for the Chinese side to hold a welcoming ceremony first, and then the US military would hang up the signal flag.
If only one warship does not fly the full flag, the US side can still use "forgetting" as an excuse, and perhaps it can explain it, but the problem is that the flags of the three visiting warships are all empty.
That's pretty much what it means to not fly a communication flag
This is equivalent to when you receive a guest at the door of the house and stretch out your hand to shake his hand, the other party deliberately pretends not to see it, ignores your etiquette, and asks you to take him into the house as a guest first, and then shake hands with you when he sits down.
Obviously, the US side did not put China on an equal footing during this visit, but had a contemptuous attitude, and if the Chinese side really did what he wanted, it would leave a weak person with a handle of superiority.
Since the US side's attitude towards the visit is so improper, there is no need for the Chinese side to give a good face.
General Liu Huaqing immediately ordered the honor guards of the three armed services to withdraw immediately, but as soon as the honor guard left, the US side sensed that something was wrong, and it must be known that the honor guard was the core of the welcome activity, and this departure would be equivalent to hanging the Americans there, and China's countermeasures would only make the US military lose face even more than the US military did not hang the signal flag.
As soon as the US troops saw this situation, they saw that if they continued like this, it would not be "impossible to steal chickens and rice," so they hurriedly ordered people to hang the communication flags full, and the Chinese side saw the flags and called the honor guard back.
In contrast to the envy expressed by the Chinese military delegation when it visited the United States to visit the warships, the US military delegation sneered at the Chinese warships with contempt.
The Chinese Navy invited the US side to visit the 051 Dalian ship, which is already the best equipment that the People's Navy can get its hands on, but in the eyes of the US side, it seems to be just a lump of steel, and the Americans unceremoniously commented that this is "the best-preserved antique warship they have ever seen in their lives."
Indeed, if the US Navy at that time was compared to a towering tree, then China was still just a young seedling that had just emerged from the soil, and the development of the two navies was indeed very different, and the arrogance of the Americans was indeed not without reason.
The predecessors who paid attention to the development of the navy in the past may have deeply experienced that whenever they saw American equipment in magazines, they always showed envy, and they would have a sense of despair that could not be surpassed by the gap between the navies of the two countries.
Fortunately, time has passed, China has long been different from what it used to be, and the Chinese Navy has developed 3 aircraft carriers, that is, the 051, which used to be despised by the Americans, and also developed the "aircraft carrier with a knife guard" 055.
The Chinese Navy is no longer a weak "seedling" that can be ridiculed.
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Resources:
2021-01-14 People's Daily: "You stand on tiptoe to look at other people's aircraft carriers, see how many Chinese are crying";
2020-01-11 Guangdong Satellite TV-Global Zero Distance: "Details of the US Navy's First Visit to China: We Immediately Withdrew the Honor Guard Without Hanging a Full Flag When Entering the Port";
2017-07-31 Qingdao Daily: The People's Navy Receives Foreign Warships for the First Time