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The People's Liberation Army Navy: the Motivations Behind Beijing's Naval Modernization University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons CUREJ - College Undergraduate Research Electronic Journal College of Arts and Sciences 4-2013 The People's Liberation Army Navy: The Motivations Behind Beijing's Naval Modernization Binh Nguyen University of Pennsylvania, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/curej Part of the Political Science Commons Recommended Citation Nguyen, Binh, "The People's Liberation Army Navy: The Motivations Behind Beijing's Naval Modernization" 01 April 2013. CUREJ: College Undergraduate Research Electronic Journal, University of Pennsylvania, https://repository.upenn.edu/curej/160. This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/curej/160 For more information, please contact [email protected]. The People's Liberation Army Navy: The Motivations Behind Beijing's Naval Modernization Abstract Throughout its history, China has always been a land power with strong continental traditions. As a result, the navy was rarely the subject of attention for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Starting in the mid-1990s, however, Beijing started to devote considerable resources to improve the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). This modernization has been enthusiastically pursued until today and China’s improved maritime capabilities have been catching the attention of the United States and China’s neighbors in East Asia. Countries are wary of Beijing’s intentions in acquiring new fleets, questioning the implications this buildup may have for the security landscape in the region. This thesis aims to contribute to the growing body of literature on Chinese naval modernization by exploring the motivations behind China’s aggressive seaward turn. In addition, this study will assess Beijing’s accomplishments thus far with the program and compare its nautical capabilities with those of the three selected countries with naval presence in East Asia—the Philippines, Japan, and the United States. Based on these considerations, this paper will then discuss the ramifications of Chinese naval modernization for security prospects of the region. Keywords China, People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), East Asian Security, Social Sciences, Political Science, Avery Goldstein, Goldstein, Avery Disciplines Political Science This article is available at ScholarlyCommons: https://repository.upenn.edu/curej/160 THE PEOPLE’S LIBERATION ARMY NAVY: THE MOTIVATIONS BEHIND BEIJING’S NAVAL MODERNIZATION by Binh Nguyen Advisor: Dr. Avery Goldstein A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with Distinction University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA April 2013 i Acknowledgements This thesis would not have been possible without the support of many phenomenal people whom I am incredibly lucky to know. First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my thesis advisor, Dr. Avery Goldstein for taking the time out of his busy schedule to advise my thesis. I am constantly amazed by his intellect and the sense of humor that he uses to convey his ideas. This thesis would not be where it is without his astute feedback. I also want to acknowledge Dr. Robert Ross for introducing me to the subfield of East Asian Security. His enthusiasm for the topic is what motivates me to pursue this research in the first place. I am grateful for the mentorship of Dr. Eileen Doherty-Sil for continuously reminding me of the need to keep my thesis relevant, generalizable, and interesting. I want to thank my friends for their camaraderie through the late nights. Finally, I am grateful for my family, whose support and sacrifice have given me the opportunity to attend school in the United States. ii Abstract Throughout its history, China has always been a land power with strong continental traditions. As a result, the navy was rarely the subject of attention for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Starting in the mid-1990s, however, Beijing started to devote considerable resources to improve the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). This modernization has been enthusiastically pursued until today and China’s improved maritime capabilities have been catching the attention of the United States and China’s neighbors in East Asia. Countries are wary of Beijing’s intentions in acquiring new fleets, questioning the implications this buildup may have for the security landscape in the region. This thesis aims to contribute to the growing body of literature on Chinese naval modernization by exploring the motivations behind China’s aggressive seaward turn. In addition, this study will assess Beijing’s accomplishments thus far with the program and compare its nautical capabilities with those of the three selected countries with naval presence in East Asia—the Philippines, Japan, and the United States. Based on these considerations, this paper will then discuss the ramifications of Chinese naval modernization for security prospects of the region. iii Table of Contents Chapter One: Introduction ................................................................................................... 1 Chapter Two: History of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ........................... 4 Chapter Three: Preliminary Literature Review ............................................................... 14 Chapter Four: China’s Motivations Behind the PLAN Modernization ......................... 20 Chapter Five: The PLAN’s Actual Accomplishments ...................................................... 48 Chapter Six: The PLAN’s Capabilities Vis-à-vis Other Countries in the Region ......... 62 Chapter Seven: Conclusion ................................................................................................. 68 References Cited .................................................................................................................. 72 1 Chapter One: Introduction China has been a rising power both economically and militarily since the 1980s. In 1989, at the end of the Cold War, China’s defense expenditure was $5.86 billion.1 According to the 2012 Military Expenditure Database of Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIRPI), China spent $143 billion on its defense in 2011, which was 24 times more than what it had been in 1989. China’s military budget now accounts for 2.2 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and 8.2 percent of the world’s total military spending.2 Figure 1. China’s Published Military Budget Source: “China’s Defense Budget,” Global Security, last modified 2013 (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/china/budget-table.htm). 1 Masashi Nishihara, “Naval Competition and Confidence Building: A Japanese Perspective,” in Southeast Asia and the Rise of Chinese and Indian Naval Power: Between Rising Naval 2 “SIPRI Military Expenditure Database,” Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, last modified 2013, http://www.sipri.org/databases/milex. 2 China has traditionally been a land power, whereas the U.S. has been a maritime power, and the divided spheres of influence have been keeping peace in the region. From the early 1970s to the end of the Cold War, elements of a strategic triangle composed of the United States, Russia, and China dominated the security landscape of East Asia. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, wherever there had been Soviet influence, China filled the power vacuum. On the Sino-Russian border, China’s conventional military capabilities are stronger than Russia’s, as Moscow’s inability to preserve its military infrastructure has reduced the strength of the Russian army. Meanwhile, the United States has historically been unable to project its power onto mainland East Asia.3 As a result, China had achieved dominance over mainland East Asia by 1991. Due to China’s status as a continental power, the navy was initially not a major focus of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). However, since the mid-1990s, China has been developing its navy aggressively. Understanding the implications of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) modernization is important. Over the past two decades, the rise of China has radically changed the strategic landscape in East Asia. This transformation has involved different aspects, such as the political, economic, social, and security relations among all countries in the area. Ten years ago, most strategic analysts would agree that the United States possessed an undisputed dominant strategic position in East Asia, acting as the most important economic, political, social, and security partner of the majority of states in the region. Today, the United States still plays an important role in East Asia, yet various signs have suggested that China has become a serious challenge to American supremacy in the regional order.4 3 Robert S. Ross, Chinese Security Policy: Structure, Power, and Politics (New York: Routledge, 2009), 47. 4 Mingjiang Li and Dongmin Lee, introduction to China and East Asian Strategic Dynamics: The Shaping of a New Regional Order, ed. Mingjiang Li and Dongmin Lee (Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2011), vii. 3 The specific research question is as follows: what has motivated China to expand its navy since the mid-1990s? This period marks China’s strong push for a blue-water navy. According to the British Maritime Doctrine BR1806, a blue-water navy is defined as a maritime force capable of operating across “the deep waters of open oceans”.5 This thesis will then expand on the overarching theme by examining two
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