Chinese navy bigger than U.S.'s.

[EJM]

Just saw this article tonight.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/05/china/ch ... index.html

[Haijun watcher]

Please note the older thread on the same topic:

China's Military Has Surpassed US in Ships, Missiles and Air Defense, DoD Report Finds

[Haijun watcher]

700 ships and growing....

MARITIME EXECUTIVE

A Guide to China's Unprecedented Naval Shipbuilding Drive
PLA Navy file image
BY ANDREW S. ERICKSON 02-11-2021 10:21:00

Sometime between 2015 and 2020, China�s Navy crossed a critical threshold: it fielded more battle force ships than the U.S. Navy, making it the world�s largest navy numerically. Today, at around 360 hulls, it exceeds its American rival by more than sixty warships.
The gap continues to grow rapidly. And China has two other fleets subordinated to its armed forces: the Coast Guard and Maritime Militia. In total: three sea forces, each the world�s largest numerically, that total over 700 ships even by conservative accounting.
Powering all China�s seapower buildup, unprecedented in recent history, is the world�s largest shipbuilding industry. By funding facilities and training, employing, and rotating workers, Chinese commercial shipbuilding subsidizes and supports military shipbuilding efforts.
This is the culmination of a decades-long effort to pursue disciplined, evolving maritime strategy according to a strict hierarchy of priorities. In doing so, Beijing has gone from playing a bad hand relatively well to a good hand extremely well.

(...SNIPPED)