Reuters
Robert Farley, National Interest: China Is A Naval Powerhouse (But Can It Stay That Way?)
Here's what history tells us.
The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is the most visible, and possibly the most consequential, manifestation of China’s emergence as a great power. In three decades, China has turned a large, but relatively minor regional force into a fleet of global consequence.
But now that China has its navy, can it keep it? The historical record is mixed. Over the past 130 years several nations have embarked on radical schemes of fleet-building designed to elevate their positions in the international hierarchy. A distressing number of these schemes have failed, with powerful, expensive capital ships left rotting at dock or rusting at the bottom of the sea. Only one “new” naval power managed to maintain its position, and the United States Navy (USN) today represents the PLAN’s greatest obstacle.
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WNU Editor: For the moment the Chinese government is investing in the growth and modernization of the Chinese Navy, and they are following the U.S. model to accomplish. It may take a few decades to match what the U.S. currently has, and maybe even longer to become as experienced as the Americans when it comes to naval operations and warfare, but the Chinese commitment is certainly there.
Support vessels are great, even a ballistic submarine who has no missiles left can be of great use, likewise a carrier with no aircraft. Thing with naval power is your can quickly become overwhelmed by an enemy naval power. A single warship can be quickly sunk, no matter if is the Hood or the Bismark, so sacrificing a smaller ship to unleash a barrage is ideal.
ReplyDeleteLook China has the slaves, in terms of capitalism the underlying cost of everything is man power. Not only does China have manpower but its cheap allowing them to build monster ships and they have done so. Will continue to do so and they will only get better. USA on the otherhand has some of the most expensive manpower so if they wish to remain a naval force they need to look to automation to reduce costs.
China has a massive restriction, as did Germany and the other countries and that being access to ports. China's ports are all clumped together, great for building a single type of ship but limits production, variety and more importantly repair. The Bismarck for example sunk because he couldn't make it to a safe port for repairs.
There is no denying the US Naval power is struggling, even commercially getting products shipped from the US is extremely expensive. Where as Chinese good have very low shipping costs, so in terms of maintaining its feel, i would say they are well on their way. All that is left to ask is can anyone restrict China to the South East China before they become a global naval power and if a war did break out, can they keep it distracted long enough to gather an international navy to combat it.