Now that's a ship!

Just over a week ago, Chinese Maj. Gen. Quan Lihua hinted at his country’s attainment of an aircraft carrier, though there was no official claim or intelligence verifying that this was more than just talk.  However, in my opinion, China’s economic and political rise are more than enough reason to suspect that they are pursuing building at least one ‘city on the sea’.  Great powers desire power and military strength is the most visual and substantive showcase of such a virtue.  One would be naive to not assume that China would desire to ratchet up their military prowess along with their growing economic and political might.

Maj. Gen. Quan cautioned that even if China obtained an aircraft or two, it would not be a security threat to East Asia or the US:

“The question is not whether you have an aircraft carrier, but what you do with your aircraft carrier,” he said in the interview. “Even if one day we have an aircraft carrier, unlike another country we will not use it to pursue global deployment or global reach.”

Quan continued to allude to strength and purpose of the US navy:

“Navies of great powers with more than 10 aircraft carrier battle groups with strategic military objectives have a different purpose from countries with only one or two carriers used for offshore defense.”

The Major General has a point as the discrepancy between the US Navy and all others, including China’s recent gains, is light years wide, with only a handful of nations evening holding one or two aircraft carriers, and the US having 11.  

Nevertheless, the US should be wary of a growing Chinese naval presence in East Asia, Southeast Asia, and beyond.  The US has had a strong naval ship and base presence in East Asia since World War II and a growing Chinese navy, which includes an aircraft carrier or two, would definitely put some pressure on the US presence, especially regarding the US-Japan alliance and Taiwan.  Though aircraft carriers themselves can be susceptible to many forms of attack, they are a great way to project power in a region.  Aircraft carriers do not travel alone, they bring with them a large group of other warships, planes, and personnel. Specifically, an aircraft carrier could be sent to the South China Sea, where China and Japan disagree on sovereignty, and to the Malacca Strait/Indian Ocean, where a large amount of China’s oil reserves pass through.  Chinese leaders obviously know the benefits to such a powerful projectile force as they have been planning and attempting to either acquire or build a carrier for years now. 

The US defense department, Congress, and executive have been more than keeping an eye on China’s naval ascendence.  The DoD discussed the nation’s navy in their annual report on China’s military and put out a separate China Navy 2007 report.  The US congress research service put out China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities - Background and Issues for Congress.  

Global Security also has a list of China’s current and projected Naval Forces.

How do you view China’s growing naval presence?  Should the US be worried?  How would you build your navy if you were China?  What ways could the US and China work together militarily and diplomatically to keep their naval operations from becoming competitors?

Tags: aircraft carrier, China, navy, US navy