The guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins (DDG 76) and the Royal Canadian Navy HMCS Ottawa (FFH 341) maneuver in international waters during exercise Noble Wolverine in the South China Sea on Jan. 11, 2025. U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Royal Canadian Navy by Sailor 3rd Class Jacob Saunders
Although the U.S. fleet remains the world’s preeminent naval power, China’s state-backed shipbuilding industry now dwarfs America’s in output and capacity, prompting bipartisan lawmakers and the Trump administration to push aggressive trade and industrial policies to rebuild U.S. maritime strength before the balance shifts further toward the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Antonio Graceffo, Ph.D., is a China economy analyst who has spent more than 20 years in Asia. Graceffo is a graduate of the Shanghai University of Sport, holds an MBA from Shanghai Jiaotong University, and studied national security at American Military University.
