Summary
History has been witness to the fact that major powers become super powers when maritime power ascendancy becomes the centre-piece of their national endeavor. In the modern era, the rise of Europeans through the maritime world and their total domination of the world from the 17^th to the 19^th centuries, was followed by an American ascendancy as a super power in the 20^th century, particularly after the Second World War. A rapidly rising China observed and understood this truism in its march towards great-power status. Beijing has accordingly prioritized development of all aspects related to the maritime domain. The Chinese Navy as the prime instrument of the State’s foreign policy in the maritime arena has also been accorded the status of a strategic force and is modernizing at break-neck speed.
This book presents the results of a research study on all facets related to the Chinese Navy. Starting with a broad overview and organization of the force, it disaggregates the findings in the form of individual chapters on the three arms of the Navy – the Surface Force, Submarine Arm, and Naval Aviation. The latter half of the book comprises details of force modernization and operational evaluation of the increasing PLA naval capabilities, and its local and regional implications, particularly those of relevance to the Indian Ocean region.
It is fervently hoped that this book will add informed value to the existing discourse on this specialized subject and provide an Indian perspective on the role of the Chinese Navy in the evolving dynamics of the Indian Ocean.