The Chinese navy, or the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLA Navy), now has two fully-functioning aircraft carriers, the Soviet-era Liaoning and the new, domestically-built Shandong.
While seriously enhancing China’s ability to project combat power beyond its own coastline, they are also being used to train cadres of naval officers and pilots in the complex business of efficiently running aircraft carrier groups.
Rapidly developing this body of expertise is no easy feat but President Xi Jinping has big plans. Apart from the two already in service, two more aircraft carriers are being designed and built. Larger and able to carry more aircraft, they will have the means to launch heavier planes and to see and attack targets further away.
These “big ticket” defence items draw the bulk of Western attention and serve to boost a sense of Chinese national might but equally important, and often missed, is the development of the PLA Navy’s amphibious capabilities.
China’s marine corps is being increased from 20,000 to 100,000 troops and personnel are being trained for a variety of missions. Meanwhile, new large amphibious assault ships will protect marines when landing on hostile shores, and provide a mobile command centre for coordination and support, a vital component in any expeditionary force.
As China expands its economic influence on other continents, it wants soldiers able to project combat power and protect its interests. The marines will be that force – well-equipped and gaining operational experience as they deploy overseas.
Add to that the PLA Navy’s underwater drone submarines, new carrier-based stealth aircraft in development, air-to-air refuelling for its expanded naval aircraft fleet and missile systems specifically designed to sink and destroy enemy aircraft carriers. All this, combined with better, more-realistic training, have served to make the Chinese navy increasingly potent.
China, like many countries, wants to protect its interests and ensure that no other country has a stranglehold on its trade routes. As its economy has expanded, so too has its determination to protect vital sea lanes and Chinese investments overseas. But what has China’s neighbours worried is the rapidity of its encroachment into other spheres of influence, both regional and beyond. So, what is going on?
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