(sea lines of communication) in the western Pacific area. Indeed, sea mines, used
to complement a variety of other capabilities, constitute a deadly challenge to
U.S. naval power in East Asia.
Problems in China’s defense–industrial complex—which is already showing
strong evidence of improvement—will not constrain sea-mine deployment.
What China cannot develop indigenously in the near term, it can procure from
Russia. Whatever their origin, a significant Chinese buildup of these armaments
could conceivably alter the cross-strait military balance in favor of the mainland.
Surface Ships: Gradually Projecting Power
Chinese maritime ambitions are not limited to wielding stealthy submarines, or
even sea mines. ‘‘While China’s submarine force is well suited to interdiction,’’
explains ONI’s Scott Bray, ‘‘protection of SLOCs with a submarine force is more
challenging. To effectively protect shipping, a visible and demonstrable naval
capability, generally based on surface combatants with the endurance and range
to operate farther from shore for an extended period of time, is preferable.’’^42
The PLA Navy has recognized its overall weakness in air defense and surface
warfare, and has taken impressive steps to overcome those problems. China has
produced a new array of frigates and destroyers over the past five years that incor-
porate numerous advanced design concepts such as stealthy superstructures,
vertical-launch air-defense systems (in four of six new destroyers), long-range
ASCMs, and phased-array radars. China’s three most recent classes of surface
combatants all have sophisticated air-search and missile-guidance radars, and also
are said to have the advanced, long-range SAMs to afford these ships a respectable
area air-defense capability.
China is rapidly upgrading its previously backward destroyer fleet. The PLAN
currently possesses sixteen Type 051Luda-class missile destroyers. Built between
1970 and 1991, these relatively old vessels were designed for surface warfare,
with limited antiair-warfare and ASW (antisubmarine-warfare) capability. They
were refitted in the 1990s to improve their anti-surface-warfare and air-defense
capabilities. A single Type 051BLuhai-class multi-role missile destroyer,Shenz-
hen(hull 167), entered service in 1998 and was refitted in 2004. Two Type
051CLuzhou-class air-defense guided-missile destroyers have been built so far.
Based on the older Type 051B hull design,Shenyang(hull 115) andShijiazhuang
(hull 116) are outfitted with the long-range Russian SA-N-20 SAM system.^43
Two hulls of the Type 052Luhu-class multi-role missile destroyer (Harbin,hull
112, andQingdao,hull 113) entered service in the mid-1990s. These were the
first Chinese surface combatants equipped with comprehensive surface-strike,
air-defense, and ASW capabilities, and also the first Chinese-built warships
to be fitted with significant suites of sophisticated Western-designed weapon
systems and sensors.
Can China Become a Maritime Power? 79