CHINA'S GROWING POWER AT SEA THE PLA'S NAVY HAS MORE SHIPS, BUT U.S. FLEET STILL HAS BETTER CAPABILITIES

摘要

Exactly if and when the increasing antagonism between United States and China will boil over into full-on conflict remains anybody's guess. But for now, one thing is as clear as the aqua-blue waters that lap up on the shores of China's man-made islands in the South China Sea: Beijing's naval fleet is larger than that of the U.S. Navy. Citing the Office of Naval Intelligence, a Congressional Research Service report from March notes that the People's Liberation Army Navy, or PLAN, was slated to have 360 battle force ships by the end of 2020, dwarfing the U.S. fleet of 297 ships. Such numbers are hard to pinpoint because the PLAN doesn't release public reports on its future shipbuilding efforts like the U.S. Navy does. But according to the CRS, China is on pace to have 425 battle force ships by 2030. Sheer size and numbers carry a quality all their own, and a numerical advantage would be of benefit in a small battlespace like the Taiwan Strait, some China watchers say. Still, others note that because the U.S. Navy has been doing this a lot longer than the growing Chinese force and is aided by the naval might of America's allies in the region, the U.S. retains key advantages that extend beyond any mere hull tally.