Table of Contents
Introduction
Securing the coasts of the People’s Republic of China and defending the nation’s maritime interests by promoting freedom of navigation in the oceans are the responsibilities assigned to the People’s Liberation Army Navy, or PLAN as it is renownedly known.
China has more naval assets than any other country, surpassing even the United States, making its navy one of the most powerful in the world, according to the Global Fire Power Index 2023, which ranks China as one of the world’s top five powers.
PLAN plans to increase the number of ships in its battle force to 400 by 2025 and 440 by 2030. The balance of power in Asia and throughout the world will unavoidably shift as a result of such massive expansion, which could exacerbate already-existing tensions between China and the USA.
Technological Disparities
Just as the technological era has dawned, so too have technological advancements influenced warfare.
The PLA Navy’s modernization and growth will be centred on the integration of diverse technologies.
With two aircraft carriers, three helicopter carriers, fifty destroyers, forty-three frigates, seventy-two corvettes, seventy-eight submarines, and one hundred patrol boats, China currently possesses the largest naval force in terms of assets. Of these, 425 are active fleet units. The United States, on the other hand, possesses 10 patrol vessels, 11 aircraft carriers, 9 helicopter carriers, 92 destroyers, 22 corvettes, 68 submarines, and 10 destroyers as part of its total inventory of 484 assets, of which 243 are active fleet units.
The USA’s superiority over the PRC in the maritime sphere is limited to aircraft carriers. PLAN intends to operationalize ten aircraft carriers or more by 2049. By 2030, ten ballistic missile submarines and five of those will be operational.
In addition, to put things in perspective, India possesses 295 naval assets, including 138 patrol boats, 11 destroyers, 12 frigates, 19 corvettes, 18 submarines, and 2 aircraft carriers. There are currently 102 fleet units in service. India’s defence and security strategy is more heavily influenced by the kinetic differences in naval power between the PLAN and Indian Navy, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region.
Blue Water Navy
The phrase “blue water navy” refers to a naval force’s capacity to conduct operations over seas and outside of national borders. With operations taking place in regions ranging from the Pacific to the Atlantic and from the Arctic to the Antarctic, the United States Navy has a true blue-water operational capability.
PLAN wants to bolster its claim over the so-called “nine-dash line” by projecting blue water capabilities throughout the Indo-Pacific region, particularly in the South China Sea, with the help of its sizable fleet.
The PLAN issued a strong warning of retaliation against the United States’ Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOP) near the Taiwan Strait and nine-dash line.
PLAN is investing more in naval modernization programmes and bolstering overall C4ISR (command and control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) capabilities in an unwavering effort to overcome the operational and doctrinal constraints it faces.
The development of PLAN’s active fleets is another facet of its maritime power projection strategy. Because submarines and aircraft carriers can assist PLAN in achieving sea control and sea denial in the defence of maritime boundaries, special attention is being paid to them.
Today, when even small navies can use cutting-edge technology to undermine naval defences, sea control is becoming increasingly difficult. For this reason, it is imperative that all nations work together to develop a cooperative strategy that can both help them maintain sea control and deny the enemy sea power.
Alfred Thayer Mahan, a renowned 19th-century historian and naval strategist, states that “the question of command of the sea is one of annual increase of the navy” in his work “The Importance of Command of the Sea”.
It is not a “naval” question in the narrow sense of the word. It has to do with national security, national policy, and national duty.”
Along with China’s homegrown aircraft carrier Fujian (Type 003), which commenced sea trials in July 2023, PLAN currently operates two aircraft carriers: Liaoning (Type 001) and Shandong (Type 002). Following the American Gerald R. Ford class, Fujian is the only aircraft carrier that utilised the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), a type of electromagnetic catapult system, to launch aircraft from the deck. Experts predict that China’s Pacific Ocean A2/AD (anti-access/area denial) capabilities will improve with the deployment of Type 003.
Conclusion
Alfred Thayer Mahan wrote, “whoever controls the Indian Ocean dominates Asia and this ocean is the key to the seven seas.” This was a wise observation. China will use every resource at its disposal to realise its aspirations of becoming a great power and displacing the United States as the dominant force. Similarly, it will attempt to project blue-water capabilities in an attempt to attain naval supremacy, and PLAN’s modernization and expansion will be essential to achieving such goals.
Countries everywhere must take precautions to ensure that the global balance of power does not shift, giving one country an advantage that could hurt the interests of multiple countries, with China concentrating on expanding the PLA Navy in the coming years. In order to ensure that a rules-based order predominates in the Indo-Pacific region and around the world, alliances like Quad and AUKUS must take on a bigger role.
