become a centerpiece of PLAN diplomacy, humanitarian operations, and disaster
relief.
A small but determined collection of PLA leaders has advocated carrier
development. Admiral Liu Huaqing championed the aircraft carrier when he
became PLAN commander (1982–88), and subsequently as Central Military
Commission vice chairman (1989–97). Whether it makes sense now for Beijing
actually to develop an aircraft carrier has apparently been hotly debated in China.
Song Xiaojun, editor in chief ofNaval & Merchant Ships,reports that one PLA
faction advocates aircraft-carrier development but must compete with elements
urging submarine and aerospace industry development.^120
A senior Chinese official has stated to the author that although he had ‘‘been
an advocate of aircraft carriers for many years because we need them,’’ until
recently carriers had ‘‘not been the best use of national resources,’’ because China
‘‘lacks an escort fleet,’’ thereby making any carrier a vulnerable target. China
has therefore invested instead in ‘‘submarines, mid-sized ships, and fighters
[aircraft].’’ In 2004, this official declared to a group of Western academics that
the reigning political and military consensus in Beijing held that the nation
should not develop an aircraft carrier. In 2006, however, he stated that ‘‘China
will have its own aircraft carrier’’ in ‘‘twelve to fifteen years.’’ He explained this
rapid shift by stating that over the past two years the subject of aircraft-carrier
development had become a ‘‘heated internal debate’’ in Beijing. Chinese national
interests had expanded, the security of SLOCs had increased in importance, the
likelihood of noncombatant evacuation operations had grown, and Beijing had
come to believe ‘‘air coverage’’ was essential to achieve ‘‘balanced naval forces.’’^121
Another indicator of Chinese interest in deck aviation appeared in a 2006 state-
ment from Lieutenant General Wang Zhiyuan, deputy director of the PLA
General Armament Department’s Science and Technology Commission.
Lieutenant General Wang declared that the PLA
will conduct research and build aircraft carriers on its own, and develop its own carrier
fleet. Aircraft carriers are a very important tool available to major powers when they want
to protect their maritime rights and interests. As China is such a large country with such
a long coastline and we want to protect our maritime interests, aircraft carriers are an
absolute necessity.^122Ultimately the aircraft carrier itself is essentially a platform for air operations—
the system of systems that allows for the projection of air power from the sea. The
acquisition of such a vessel for the PLAN would thus be merely one benchmark,
and a relatively simple one at that, along a complex continuum that might some-
day lead to a truly operational PLAN aircraft carrier. Subsequent steps would
involve hardware, software, and training. Dramatic improvements in PLAN aerial
power-projection capabilities hinge on breakthroughs in sea-based aviation, mid-
air refueling, PLAN doctrine, ASW, and PLANAF service culture. Without major
Can China Become a Maritime Power? 91