New Chinese Carrier

[mikeo80]

I have been reading about the launch and sea trials of the PRC's first carrier.

From some of the pictures I have seen, this thing is an odd looking duck.

Front sloping ramp like HMS Invincible class carriers.

What looks like side mount catapult launchers like USS Nimitz class.

It's like the PRC could not make up its' mind on what to build.

Also, no mention in articles if this thing is oil or a nuclear driven ship.

IIRC all active US carriers are now nuclear.

My $0.02

Mike

[cavtroop]

It's the old Russian carrier 'Riga' or Ukranian 'Varyag':

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_...carrier_Varyag

[Matt Wiser]

You can bet that Pacific Fleet will be keeping an eye on her. Subs following her to get acoustic signature, hull photos, etc once she sails outside PRC territorial waters, for one thing. P-3s flying close is another. Not to mention that the U.S. allies in the region will be watching this as well-and maybe start their own carrier programs (the ROKs and JMSDF may go the "Harrier-carrier" route with something that can support F-35B operations). And every sub driver in the Western Pacific, whether USN, ROKN, JMSDF, Taiwanese, etc. will look at that ship and be thinking "target." Remember that every sub driver, regardless of what Navy they are in, views all surface ships as the enemy.

[Mohoender]

Some sources also claim that two more carriers are under construction. Anyway, China has stated that it intends to have three carriers (to match ROK and Japan navies). New class of LPD are also being launched.

China's obvious intention is to build a navy that will allow it to have some projection capability but with no intention to compete with the US Navy. What would be the point?

Something else is to take into account, China (like Persia) has not attacked any foreign power in more than 3000 years. Why would this change?

[Legbreaker]

Originally Posted by Mohoender

Something else is to take into account, China (like Persia) has not attacked any foreign power in more than 3000 years. Why would this change?

While not saying that they have any interest at all in offensive actions (besides against Taiwan and Nepal and very local areas), it's worth mentioning that the China of today is completely different to that of most of the last 3,000 years. Communist China is a relative newcomer to the scene with the last 60 years or so not much more than a drop in the historical ocean of the region. Who knows what the current generation, or more importantly, the coming generation of rulers have in mind...

[95th Rifleman]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

While not saying that they have any interest at all in offensive actions (besides against Taiwan and Nepal and very local areas), it's worth mentioning that the China of today is completely different to that of most of the last 3,000 years. Communist China is a relative newcomer to the scene with the last 60 years or so not much more than a drop in the historical ocean of the region. Who knows what the current generation, or more importantly, the coming generation of rulers have in mind...

People tend to make too much of Chinese communism, it goes back to the cold war when everything red was bad.

The basic chinese culture and attitude hasn't changed for 3000 years, they favour buffer zones around china that can give them time to react to hostile actions (like Korea and Taiwan) but favour an economic approach to empire building, they always have. The rise of China today just shows that they are sticking to their old methods of economic domination as opposed to military expansion.

The chinese are not stupid.

[Benjamin]

Originally Posted by Mohoender

Something else is to take into account, China (like Persia) has not attacked any foreign power in more than 3000 years. Why would this change?

Really? Ask the Vietnamese as recently as 1979 about that. And while I have no problem with China enlarging its own military to better fit her role as a global economic power, her immediate neighbors have every reason to be wary of her growing power.

Benjamin

[Mohoender]

Originally Posted by Benjamin

Really? Ask the Vietnamese as recently as 1979 about that. And while I have no problem with China enlarging its own military to better fit her role as a global economic power, her immediate neighbors have every reason to be wary of her growing power.

Benjamin

It was an answer to Vietnam's invasion of Cambodia a year earlier and China withdrew after it. It is a border clash more than a war. In any ways can it qualify as an invasion war (by invasion war, I mean a war in which the invader intend to gain territory). To this, you can add, the Chinese involvement in the Korean war. China is backing its allies. This is quite normal even if these allies are questionable.

Try to take Tibet from Chinese rule and you can expect a full scale war with China.

[RN7]

Originally Posted by Mohoender

Some sources also claim that two more carriers are under construction. Anyway, China has stated that it intends to have three carriers (to match ROK and Japan navies). New class of LPD are also being launched.

China's obvious intention is to build a navy that will allow it to have some projection capability but with no intention to compete with the US Navy. What would be the point?

Something else is to take into account, China (like Persia) has not attacked any foreign power in more than 3000 years. Why would this change?

Invasion of northern Dzungaria (1949)
Invasion of Tibet (1950)
Korean War (1950-1953)
Sino-Indian War (1962)
Sino-Soviet Border Conflict (1969)
Battle of the Paracel Islands (1974)
Sino-Vietnam War (1979)
Sino-Vietnam Border Conflicts (1979-1990)