The frigate Yueyang, put into service with the South China Sea Fleet of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, is also capable of air defense and antisubmarine operations.

At a ceremony held in Sanya, a port city in south China's Hainan Province, South China Sea Fleet Commander Jiang Weilie endorsed a PLA flag and naming certificate for the naval unit that received the frigate, the agency said.

According to a white paper published recently, the PLA Navy has been training combined task forces with new types of destroyers, frigates, ocean-going supply ships and shipborne helicopters to increase its blue-water capabilities.