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Assessing the Chinese Navy’s ‘Numerical Superiority’

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Assessing the Chinese Navy’s ‘Numerical Superiority’
Sailors stand on the deck of the new type 055 guide missile destroyer Nanchang of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) as it participates in a naval parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the founding of China's PLAN in the sea near Qingdao, in eastern China's Shandong Province on April 23, 2019. Mark Schiefelbein/AFP via Getty Images
Richard A. Bitzinger
Updated:
News Analysis

The China-watching community has been going through a bit of a freak-out over the U.S. Defense Department’s (DoD) latest report on the Chinese military. In particular, the report—an annual, congressionally mandated publication—states that China now possesses the “largest” navy in the world.

Richard A. Bitzinger
Richard A. Bitzinger
Author
Richard A. Bitzinger is an independent international security analyst. He was previously a senior fellow with the Military Transformations Program at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) in Singapore, and he has held jobs in the U.S. government and at various think tanks. His research focuses on security and defense issues relating to the Asia-Pacific region, including the rise of China as a military power, and military modernization and arms proliferation in the region.
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