The Evolution of the People’s Liberation Army Navy

The Evolution of the People’s Liberation Army Navy
Soldiers stand on deck of the ambitious transport dock Yimen Shan of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy as it participates in a naval parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the founding of China's PLA Navy in the sea near Qingdao, in eastern China's Shandong Province, on April 23, 2019. Mark Schiefelbein/AFP via Getty Images
Bradley A. Thayer
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Commentary

The initial sea trials of the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN’s) third aircraft carrier, Fujian, have concluded—a fitting point to reflect on its tremendous growth. The PLAN is not an exception. All of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) nuclear and conventional military capabilities have grown from modest ones—barely able to protect its borders—to global ones that rival those of the United States.

Bradley A. Thayer
Bradley A. Thayer
Author
Bradley A. Thayer is a founding member of the Committee on Present Danger China and the coauthor with Lianchao Han of “Understanding the China Threat” and the coauthor with James Fanell of “Embracing Communist China: America’s Greatest Strategic Failure.”
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