Well, you have to keep in mind that pic is of EVERY remotely modern destroyer the Chinese have.
I'd argue the Japanese are more underrated now than they were in 1941. Plenty of pics of the Japanese Naval Self-Defense Force that are more impressive.
Not quite every vessel, it is missing 7 more destroyers.
The boats in the ship are 2 x type 052B, 1 x 052C, 1 x 051B, and the final two in the background are likely the 2 x type 052's. What is missing in the photograph is the other 052C, pennant 170 which was undergoing a refit at the time, the two type 051C's (one shown in the first picture), and the four Sovremennys.
The PLAN has a total of 13 modern destroyers.
Actually, it does not nearly represent pictures of every modern destroyer the Chinese have. That picture shows threee destroyers and a few frigates. The Chinese have built or purchased 14 very modern destroyers in the last few years and are building more, and have also built 14 modern frigates.
Continuing, in the last 5-6 years the Chinese have built 78 new, modern major combatants and added them to their fleet. As a comparison, in that same time, we have built 46 new major combatants and added them to our fleet. But the kicker is this: In that same time period, we have decommissioned 49 major combatants, many of them with 10-15 years service life remaining (Spruance Class Destroyers, LA Class subs, Tara Class Amphibs, etc.). That means we have a net loss of three major combatants.
The chinese have decomissioned none of their vessels so they have increased their fleet by 78 vessels.
That trend , if continued (and it looks like it will continue), means the PLAN will rapidly catch up with and pass our US Navy in the Western Pacific in the next few years. IMHO, it dare not be discounted, scoffed at, or ignored.
I will have my 2007 update to my site that focuses on this ready within the next week or so. In the mean time, go there and look at the other updates and information. Their build rate and the shear numbers of new, modern classes of vessels if phenominal...and we are the main source of funding.
THE RISING SEA DRAGON IN ASIAYes, they may be small potatoes now but one doesn't ignore a people with 4-5 times your population and pipe dreams of taking over the world this century. 200 million chinese invading israel sounds crazy, yes? It's been right there in the book of revelation for 2000 years.