China Building Up Its Navy

China is attempting to transfer it financial wealth into military power. This power will be enforce its influence in the region as well as impress upon the world that they are a superpower.

WITH an unprecedented display of its rapidly growing naval armoury, China has flaunted its ambitions as a global power. To mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), Chinese leaders on April 23rd reviewed a maritime parade of hardware ranging from nuclear submarines to amphibious assault-craft and fighter bombers. The only missing ingredient of naval might was an aircraft-carrier. Officials hint it will not be long before China has some of these too.

The aircraft carrier would be the final piece of the puzzle, but not needed for their short term goals. For now the Chinese spehere is clearly around China proper. For the time being they are developing a missile that is anti-aircraft carrier weapon, the only purpose of which is to sink American boats. The real threat is that China is attempting to push its normal area of operation deeper into the Pacific as us describedin the Pentagon’s annual report on China’s military capability .




Of particular concern is China's new submarines:

China is coy about its submarines. Foreign military officials attending the regatta toured a Song-class diesel-electric submarine. The Song has been in use since the 1990s, but it was the first time that some of these officials, despite repeated requests, had been allowed inside one. China has said nothing about its new Jin-class submarines armed with long-range nuclear missiles. The Pentagon reported that the first of these had been deployed.

The Qingdao review did include an interesting addition to China’s fleet, a Yuzhao-class amphibious-assault ship, which could be used to dispatch troops and helicopters over long distances. One Western diplomat says he sees its deployment as potentially useful for settling scores in the South China Sea. The contrast between the display of such weaponry and China’s rhetoric about harmony he calls “a bit of schizophrenia”. China’s self-image as a responsible great power was also on show, however, with a large new hospital ship, useful for humanitarian missions. Three vessels have just completed an anti-piracy tour in the Gulf of Aden. This continuing mission is China’s first active naval deployment beyond the Pacific.

They are getting prepared, for what is the question.