According to a report released last Dec. 16, 2024 by the U.S. Department of Defense, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy is becoming the largest in the world.
The report notes that the Chinese Navy includes more than 370 ships and submarines, including more than 140 large surface combat systems. The Chinese Navy has landing ships, aircraft carriers, mining ships and all kinds of auxiliary ships at its disposal. It is estimated that by 2025 the size of the Chinese Navy will reach 395 ships and by 2030 it will increase to 435. In comparison, the U.S. Navy has 296 warships, a number that is expected to drop to 294 by 2030. The British Royal Navy, the largest in Europe after Russia, has only 45 ships.
The EPL fleet consists mainly of modern multi-mission platforms equipped with advanced anti-ship, anti-aircraft and anti-submarine weapons. The U.S. report says the expanding fleet, which includes large and modern amphibious ships, allows for a wide range of operations to protect Chinese interests.
The report points out that in addition to a permanent base in Djibouti, the EPL “is likely already planning additional military logistics facilities to support naval, air and land forces.” Among the countries being considered for the formation of such platforms, the report’s authors cite Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Indonesia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Cuba, Kenya, Equatorial Guinea, Seychelles, Tanzania, Angola, Nigeria, Namibia, Mozambique, Gabon, Bangladesh, Papua New Guinea, etc. The PRC’s maritime expansion is supported by a vast and increasingly complex military-industrial structure. By 2024, five of the world’s 12 largest defense companies will turn out to be Chinese.
Images that appeared on social media suggest that the Type 071 Shiming Shan landing ship received a powerful laser weapon system after reconstruction. The laser system, recognizable by its movable dome-shaped cover, appeared behind the ship’s 76mm dual-purpose gun after routine repairs. From the available photographs, it is difficult to judge the capabilities of this laser weapon or estimate the location of the ship.
The Chinese military is known to use other laser weapons, but this is the first time a laser system has been installed on one of its amphibious ships. It is likely that this ship will serve as a test platform before a large deployment of new weapons in the Chinese fleet. Entering service in 2007, the Type 071 has been the Chinese military’s largest operational amphibious assault ship until the Type 075 entered service in 2021. The Type 071, with a displacement of about 25,000 tons, has a flight deck, a hangar and can accommodate four Z-8 transport helicopters and about 60 armored fighting vehicles.
Experts suggest that laser weapons, more powerful and cheaper than traditional ones, will play an important role in future defense systems. In the past, “Interest Engineering” has documented several cases of laser weapons successfully used to destroy drones. With a reliable power source, these weapons can effectively operate indefinitely without the problem of running out of ammunition.
In early August 2024, it was reported that the naval unit of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army had adopted unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) of unusual design. Externally, these drones are indistinguishable from birds, so they can be used for covert reconnaissance.
It should be noted that many countries are working on bird-like drones. However, in most cases, these devices have a fixed wing and their flight is provided by propellers. For example, the Dutch Evolution Eagle reconnaissance drone, disguised as a large eagle, can fool the human eye only at a great distance.
Chinese developers have created a UAV that not only resembles a bird but also mimics its movements. The ornithopter has a moving wing design. The device can be started manually. A special mechanism allows the drone to easily gain altitude and make tight turns by flapping its wings. In addition, the ornithopter is able to fold one wing at a time and spread them out to save energy.
Two words about the meaning of ornithopter: it is a flapping-wing surface aircraft. The earliest drawing of an ornithopter dates back to Leonardo da Vinci: it probably represents the first attempt to design a heavier-than-air flying object (aerodine), whose sustenance is achieved by aerodynamic action on the surfaces of the craft; in practice, Leonardo’s complex mechanism reproduced the wings of a bird.
This technological achievement reflects the Chinese military’s desire to remain at the forefront of innovation. The UAV is able to blend seamlessly into the environment to carry out covert and effective reconnaissance missions, Army Recognition observes. Army Recognition is a resource that offers a wide range of content, including video reports, in-depth analysis, up-to-date conflict information and a detailed database of military data.
A special headset is used to control the drone. The full technical specifications of the early August 2024 drone have not been made public for security reasons. However, it is known that the ornithopter is equipped with a receiver for the navigation system and a camera. The device can be used not only for military reconnaissance, but also to solve other problems. This could be, for example, environmental monitoring.
Ultimately, the analysis of serious sources of information, the analysis of the characteristics of the network of geopolitical relations between the People’s Republic of China, the United States of America and Beijing’s neighboring maritime countries at different stages, the highlighting of hotspot countries through a variety of community exploration features, such as the change of the presidency of the United States of America, are all systems in which the main reasons for changes in geopolitical relations between countries in the scenario are explained.
The results show that the evolution of geopolitical relations between the People’s Republic of China, the United States of America, and the maritime countries bordering the People’s Republic of China from 1991 to the present has been divided into three phases: the first was a period of steady development from 1991 to 2007; the second represents a period of ups and downs from 2008 to 2018; and the third, from 2018 to the present, is a Chinese awareness that is manifested by the strengthening of its fleet.
This means that the overall level of interest and influence of events between Beijing, Washington and the maritime countries sharing China’s two great seas has increased year by year, and the degree of mutual influence between them has also become increasingly complex and the interaction between the countries has become more competitive.
At this stage, there are some spatial features of the network of geopolitical relations, which are mainly reflected in the change of spheres of influence: for example, the main hotspot countries in the region have also changed: to the “usual” People’s Republic of China and the United States of America, Japan, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (north) and the Republic of Korea (south) are added.
In conclusion, it must be said that the United States of America is the first country to influence geopolitical relations between Beijing and its neighboring maritime countries. The use of previous foreign policies by the Beijing government has had various impacts on regional geopolitical relations and is consistent with the development of China’s current geopolitical relations.
Author: Giancarlo Elia Valori – Honorable de l’Académie des Sciences de l’Institut de France, Honorary Professor at the Peking University.
(The views expressed in this article belong only to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of World Geostrategic Insights).