China has sent its newest guided missile destroyer -- the CNS Xining (DDG-117) -- to the Yellow Sea off the western coast of North Korea to fire its anti-ship missiles in a blunt warning that North Korea tone down its war mongering rhetoric.

The People's Liberation Army Navy said the Xining "tested" its missiles and other weapons systems in this live fire exercise it recorded on video and later broadcast on the internet. The Yellow Sea separates China from the Korean peninsula.

Like Us on Facebook

The choice of the Xining is particularly apt since this destroyer is the PLAN's newest and most modern. Xining was commissioned into the PLAN only last January.

But more striking is that Xining is part of the North Sea Fleet based at the port city of Qingdao along the Yellow Sea. The distance from Qingdao to Pyongyang, capital of North Korea, is less than 580 kilometers.

"This live-fire exercise not only provided officers and sailors with an opportunity to fire the artillery, but also tested and regulated their firing techniques and help them gather battling experience," said Xiang Zhihong, an officer with the North Sea Fleet.

The live fire exercise came in the wake of provocative statements by North Korea's Vice-Foreign Minister Han Song-Ryol.

"We'll be conducting more missile tests on a weekly, monthly and yearly basis," said Han.

He said that an "all-out war" will result if the U.S. took military action.

CNS Xining is the fifth Type 052D guided missile destroyer commissioned by the PLAN. This warship's hull has a semi-stealthy design to render it less visible to radar.

She can serve as a flagship for a strike group and can anti-ship, anti-submarine and air defense operations.

Xining and her sisters, however, are designed for anti-aircraft defense. She carries 64 HHQ-9 long-range surface-to-air (SAM) missiles to fulfill her air defense role. She also carries YJ-18 or YJ-83 anti-ship cruise missiles to attack enemy surface ships.