China enters Aircraft Carrier Manufacturing Arena

 Courtesy Daily Sabah

China possesses an extended air defence coverage and its threat perception lies in the likely commissioning in the year 2023 of a Type 002 carrier outfitted with catapult launch enabling a multi role capability. This effort lends credence to the theory that China is in pursuit of blue water outreach. Presently the US Navy maintains its numerical superiority over the Chinese Navy with a fleet of 11 nuclear powered super carriers . Chinese ambitions remain confined to Pacific waters and are not exacting on its revenue streams on account of which it has the  fiscal space available to consistently and rigorously pursue its maritime ambitions.

Global Maritime Hegemony

The cornerstone of China’s strategic planning is based on the notion that it does not need to command  global maritime hegemony in the manner the US does fuelling China’s ambitions to endeavour to protect strategic and relatively less costlier sea routes embracing a predominant segment of global trade exceeding $ 5 trillion annually. China’s future strategy may include maintaining security of choke points in the Indian Ocean’s seaborne trade in vital energy supplies and straddling sea lanes through which almost 80 % of world energy cargoes pass.

Multiple Players in Pacific Waters

In western eyes China and the renegade North Korea are seen as military collaborators. With the blessings of the western powers South Korea’s military brass plans to take its defence preparedness a notch higher by enlarging the role of the Directorate of Countering Nuclear and Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and establishment of a unified strategic command by the year 2024. South Korea operates a Cyber Operations Command and under its external security canvas missiles, submarines, fighter aircrafts including F-35 and the space and electromagnetic grid function.

A 3 tiered system known as Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation (KMPR) , or referred to as Kill Chain Strike Platform , is poised to come into operation in case any conflict escalates to nuclear level .The KMPR is essentially an operational plan designed to launch preemptive strikes to decimate the North Korean military command if and when the intensity of the military engagement so necessitates .

Sensationalism

Apart from combat operations its present aircraft carriers , bolstered by an air wing of 40 fixed and rotary-wing aircraft supported by maritime patrol , China’s naval presence contributes to sensationalisation in the Western media at times to an absurd extent.At a later stage the Chinese fleet would be complemented by four nuclear-powered super carriers which would be at par in capability to the US Nimitiz reaching an air wing upto 100 fixed and rotary-wing aircraft. Such acquired capability would have an impact with the potential to alter the strategic scheme of naval dynamics.

Cruise

Courtesy Bangkok Post

China is nearing completion of its  pioneer cruise ship.Although the cruise ship of 135,000 GRT may seem a small achievement and paling in comparison to an aircraft carrier yet it is more complex then constructing a bulker. The cruise ship has a range of intricate systems and is an advanced form of shipbuilding product