Why China Wants Aircraft Carriers

Image: Wikimedia Commons/Department of Defense.

Harry J. Kazianis, National Interest: Why Does China Want Aircraft Carriers?

The People’s Republic of China: The only nation on Earth building not one but two “carrier-killer” missiles. Yet, China is also one of just a handful of countries who wants to build more carriers. Odd? Not exactly, if you know the history and why Beijing wants carriers in the first place.

Indeed, there is a tremendous amount of publicly available information when it comes to Beijing’s carrier program, with the history of the program being completely fascinating. For example, in a recent article for U.S. Naval War College Review, Andrew Scobell, Michael McMahon and Cortez A. Cooper III explain the drivers behind the program, operational capacities and possible future directions. The full article is available here. Don’t have time to read the whole thing? No problem, I personally feel understanding the drivers of the program are key. With that said, here is what you need to know on the topic:

WNU Editor: Why does China want aircraft carriers .... the reason is simple .... because great powers have them, and if China is to be a great power .... it has to have them.