IN-DEPTH: War in South China Sea Would Devastate Global Economy, Especially China’s: Experts

The USS Chung-Hoon observes a Chinese navy ship conduct what it called an "unsafe” Chinese maneuver in the Taiwan Strait, on June 3, 2023. The Chinese navy ship cut sharply across the path of the American destroyer, forcing the U.S. ship to slow to avoid a collision. Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Andre T. Richard/U.S. Navy via AP

China is building a 400-ship navy in what historians say is the swiftest development of sea power since the United States assembled its armada after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor during World War II.

But warships are just part of the story.