China 'needs three aircraft carriers' says naval expert
China needs ‘at least three aircraft carriers’ to protect its extensive coastline and its interests abroad, a senior Chinese naval expert said Wednesday.
‘Our country has an 18,000-kilometre long coastline. Also, our economy is outward looking and our interests abroad are growing,’ said Commodore Zhang Junshe, a member of the Naval Research Institute.
‘All this requires us to send a military force to distant seas to protect [these interests]. In these circumstances, I think we need at least three aircraft carriers. Of course, depending on economic development, we could legitimately revise this figure upwards,’ he said during a meeting with the Chinese and foreign press.
In November, the English-language China Daily, citing the official Xinhua news agency, said the Asian giant had begun construction of a third aircraft carrier. The defence ministry has not confirmed this.
China currently has only one operational aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, a secondhand Soviet ship built nearly 30 years ago and commissioned in 2012.
A second carrier, the first built entirely by China and known only as ‘Type 001A’, was launched a year ago and has been undergoing sea trials.
With just one fully operational aircraft carrier, China is far behind the United States, which has 11 such warships, but is on a par with Russia, France, India and Britain, which have one each, according to Nick Childs, a naval specialist at Britain's International Institute for Strategic Studies.
‘Since the first Opium War in 1840 until the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, we have suffered 470 naval attacks from Western countries or Japan,’ said Zhang.
During this period, China suffered several defeats by Britain, Japan and France which resulted in the colonisation of Chinese territories.
‘We will not be invading other countries, but the Chinese are afraid that their country will be invaded again, so the main reason we are strengthening our defence is to ensure our security,’ he said.
With a buildup of its military capability in recent years, Beijing is seeking to assert its extensive claims to the South China Sea and to deter any independence moves by Taiwan.
More from Naval Warfare
-
Babcock to take over upkeep of Royal Navy Type-23 frigates
The Royal Navy’s Type-23 Duke-class frigates for the UK Royal Navy were designed as anti-submarine warfare (ASW) ships but now have a multi-role function. Of the 16 Type 23s built, 12 remain in service with the Royal Navy and will be replaced by the Type-26 frigates before 2035.
-
Austal completes autonomy trials with former Royal Australian Navy patrol boat
The work took place under the Patrol Boat Autonomy Trial (PBAT), which has been a collaboration between Austal, Greenroom Robotics, the Trusted Autonomous Systems Defence Cooperative Research Centre and the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) Warfare Innovation Navy Branch.
-
Singapore launches fourth and final Type 218SG submarine
The era of southeast Asian submarine modernisation has been in full swing fuelled by growing tensions in the South China Sea.
-
Keel laid for third Hellenic Navy frigate as harbour trials start for first
On 24 March 2022, Greece and Naval Group have signed a contract for three defence and intervention (FDI) frigates. Two warships will be due for delivery in 2025 and the third expected the following year, with the deal including an option to add a fourth frigate to be ready in 2027.
-
US senators raise Russian concerns over unprepared Coast Guard fleet
US Congress senators have warned that the US Coast Guard’s fleet cannot protect Arctic waters against Russian naval capabilities.
-
New deal to make AUKUS cooperation easier
The AUKUS agreement will support Australia’s purchase of at least eight nuclear-powered submarines under pillar one. Other pillars of the agreement cover high technology such as cyber, unmanned systems, AI, EW, undersea capabilities and information sharing between the three countries.