General Chen Bingde, head of the general staff of China’s People Liberation Army (PLA), has confirmed that his country is constructing its first aircraft carrier, an ex-Soviet Varyag set to begin sea trials next year. Spy-masters in Washington and London have been monitoring the ship’s progress for some time, but Gen. Chen’s comments are the first public commentary on its existence. Purchased from a Ukrainian shipyard in 2002 for $20million by a Macau-based company, the original contract stipulated that the vessel could not be used for military purposes. The buyer claimed the ship would be converted into a floating amusement park, complete with a hotel and casino. Whoops.
Adding an aircraft carrier to its fleet continues to amplify the PLA’s global reach capabilities, and at a time when China is asserting a more aggressive strategic posture in the South China Sea. China has made maritime territorial claims there, drawing ire of the United States and countries in the region, which have insisted instead freedom of international waterways.
That’s why, in part, confirmation of the aircraft carrier is likely to raise the hackles of policy makers in Western capitals, fearful–despite Beijing’s claims to the contrary–that the addition of a major instrument of power projection represents an obvious threat.
While such fears are well-founded, it’s also important to place the Chinese military expansionism within a proper context. In that vein, PPI has offered a series of memos on China’s military over the course of 2010, including this piece explicitly on its Navy. U.S. Naval War College Professor Mike Chase concludes:
[T]he U.S. will need to strengthen its ties to key countries in East Asia and develop strategic and tactical military concepts and capabilities that would allow it to counter China’s growing military power. Meanwhile, U.S. policy makers must seek collaboration with the Chinese military in an effort to highlight the benefits of being a global stakeholder to Beijing.
Other pieces in the series are on China’s military budget and priorities and Beijing’s anti-access/area-denial strategy. Read them here. And finally, back in December, PPI did a fantastic panel discussion featuring Chip Gregson, Asst. Secretary of Defense for Asia, Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), as well as Joe Nye, Jim Fallows, and the aforementioned Mike Chase. Check out the video here.
