Flowers and other tributes have been placed at Wang Wei's grave at a cemetery in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, on Thursday, the 20th anniversary of his death. [Photo/CHINA DAILY]

The South Sea Fleet of the People's Liberation Army Navy said its naval and air forces are able, determined and ready to safeguard the nation's sovereignty, security and interests as it and people across the nation remembered a hero on Thursday.

The fleet published an article on its WeChat social media account to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the death of Wang Wei, a Chinese fighter jet pilot who was killed on April 1, 2001, in a collision with a United States spy plane near Hainan, China's southernmost island province.

"The best message we can send to the hero is that we will never allow such a tragedy to happen again," the article said."The Chinese Navy will never let history repeat itself."

The world will not be one in which the bigger fist has the bigger say, and the PLA Navy is always prepared to confront intruders and defend the country, it said.

The article compared China's military's hardware 20 years ago with that of today and displayed photos of the PLA Navy's current hardware, including an aircraft carrier, large destroyer, nuclear submarine and long-range bomber. It said that the date of Wang Wei's death will never be forgotten.

Every year on April 1, many Chinese people commemorate that sad day by posting words of remembrance and respect on internet forums and their social media accounts.

On Thursday, many Chinese media organizations published articles honoring Wang, saying that the PLA has become as strong as the Navy pilot had dreamed of. Some also posted a painting of Wang that depicted his wish of one day flying a fighter jet from an aircraft carrier.