– National Interest – The First Sino-Japanese War a century ago offers Beijing interesting lessons for the future—lessons China’s military through its writings is clearly exploring.

– Defense News – China’s new CX-1 supersonic anti-ship cruise missile is ready for export to America’s friends and foes alike, with potential markets including Iran, Pakistan and African and South American countries.

– Defense News – Taiwan’s F-16s face a growing threat from China’s arsenal of surface-to-air missiles (SAMs). The latest and gravest is the Russian sale of 400-kilometer-range S-400 Triumf road-mobile SAM systems to China. If fielded in Fujian Province, the SAM system will be able to cover the whole of Taiwan airspace, thus finally solving the “problem of air superiority for the Chinese.”

– Joint Forces Quarterly – The numerous, increasingly advanced cruise missiles being developed and deployed by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) have largely flown under the public’s radar. This article surveys PRC cruise missile programs and assesses their implications for broader People’s Liberation Army (PLA) capabilities, especially in a Taiwan scenario.

– Reuters – According to Janes’, satellite images show China is building an island on a reef in the disputed Spratly Islands large enough to accommodate what could be its first offshore airstrip in the South China Sea

– Information Dissemination – Excellent review of the Chinese anti-ship ballistic missile program by Jon Solomon. Make sure to read all 4 parts as listed at the top.

– USNI News – China has put the Shenyang J-15 Flying Shark carrier-borne multirole fighter into serial production, with at least eight production examples known to be flying already.

– Economist – Trade depends on order at sea, but keeping it is far from straightforward.

– USNI News – China has commissioned a corvette variant focused on anti submarine warfare (ASW), expanding the capability of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) to find and hunt submarines in the South China Sea.

– The Atlantic – The country’s intensifying efforts to redraw maritime borders have its neighbors, and the U.S., fearing war. But does the aggression reflect a government growing in power—or one facing a crisis of legitimacy? An excellent review of the situation in the South China Sea.

– Bloomberg – Beneath the surface of the South China Sea off the tropical Chinese resort island of Hainan, an underwater tunnel guides submarines into a lair reminiscent of a James Bond spy movie.

– The Diplomat – Reports of Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning’s death are greatly exaggerated.

– The Diplomat – The PLAN already contests maritime Asia with the United States.

– Wall Street Journal – China’s submarines add nuclear-strike capability, altering strategic balance.

– National Defense University – This paper addresses China’s expanding international economic interests, which are likely to generate increasing demands for the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) to operate out of area to protect Chinese citizens, investments, and sea lines of communication. The frequency, intensity, type, and location of such operations will determine the associated logistics support requirements, with distance from China, size and duration, and combat intensity being especially important drivers.

– War is Boring – There’s no more of a conspicuous and potent symbol of China’s growing naval power than the aircraft carrier Liaoning. But the 53,000-ton, 999-foot-long carrier could be dangerous to her crew and prone to engine failures. If so, that makes the vessel as much of a liability as an asset to Beijing.

– National Interest – The visit of the Chinese Type 039 Song class submarine to Colombo, Sri Lanka, earlier this month passed with little notice, but it’s the first time one of the People’s Liberation Army-Navy’s (PLA-N) diesel-powered submarines has emerged in the Indian Ocean, and its a rare PLAN submarine visit to a foreign port. Naturally, this visit, and an Indian Ocean patrol by a Chinese nuclear submarine at the start of this year, is prompting discussion about the expanding reach and capability of China’s navy.

– National Interest – China’s “rights protection fleet” has grown tremendously in recent years. That could mean trouble in the East and South China Seas.

– Want China Times – China’s Global Times says the United States has studied various ways to counter the nuclear threat of China’s Type 94 Jin-class submarine.

– War is Boring – ‘Song’-class sub causes a stir in the Indian Ocean

– Chinese Navy – A Potent Vector: Assessing Chinese Cruise Missile Developments – The numerous, increasingly advanced cruise missiles being developed and deployed by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) have largely flown under the public’s radar. This article surveys PRC cruise missile programs and assesses their implications for broader People’s Liberation Army (PLA) capabilities, especially in a Taiwan scenario.

– National Interest – The visit of the Chinese Type 039 Song class submarine to Colombo, Sri Lanka, earlier this month passed with little notice, but it’s the first time one of the People’s Liberation Army-Navy’s (PLA-N) diesel-powered submarines has emerged in the Indian Ocean, and its a rare PLAN submarine visit to a foreign port. Naturally, this visit, and an Indian Ocean patrol by a Chinese nuclear submarine at the start of this year, is prompting discussion about the expanding reach and capability of China’s navy.

– War is Boring – A full-scale model of China’s J-31 stealth fighter prototype has appeared on the flight deck of the Chinese navy’s aircraft carrier mock-up, fueling speculation that the radar-evading jet could become part of China’s carrier air wing.

– National Interest – How worried should the U.S. Navy be when it comes to the much-discussed DF-21D?

– USNI News – A Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) guided missile destroyer and frigate have docked in Iran ahead of a series of bilateral exercises, a first for Chinese warships.