– Economist – China’s ocean scientists will soon start exploring a controversial patch of sea.

– Washington Post – China has taken a major step toward commissioning its first aircraft carrier by largely completing the restoration of a derelict ship purchased from Ukraine.

– Defense Technology International – Nice article by Bill Sweetman on how the real purpose of the new Chinese J-20 stealth fighter may be to serve as an anti-access area-denial weapon against the US Navy.

– Associated Press – Liu Huaqing, the father of the modern Chinese navy, has died at age 95.

– Aviation Week and Space Technology – Australian analysts are starting to examine how combat between the U.S. and China over the Taiwan Strait might play out and what’s needed to produce a win for small, high-tech forces.

–Chinese Navy – Military strength is eluding China – A different view of the Chinese Navy’s strength…

– Asahi Shimbun – Robert Willard, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, said he believes that China aspires to become a “global military (power)” by extending its influence beyond its regional waters.

– China Sign Post – As we enter the Year of the Hare, China has achieved a major military milestone far faster than many foreign observers thought possible. In a December 2010 interview with veteran national security journalist Yoichi Kato of the Asahi Shimbun, Admiral Robert F. Willard, Commander, U.S. Pacific Command, offered significant new revelations.

– Reuters – China may be ready to launch its first aircraft carrier in 2011, Chinese military and political sources said on Thursday, a year ahead of U.S. military analysts’ expectations.

– Reuters – Here are some facts about China’s carrier ambitions.

– Foreign Affairs – A look at the looming U.S.-Chinese naval rivalry.

– Armed Forces Journal – 10 myths America holds about China.

– Chinese Navy – China’s Navy: A Turn to Corbett? – Chinese navalists have been mixing some Sir Julian Corbett into their Mahanian cocktails lately. That is wise on their part, and something that bears American scrutiny.

– Air Force – New generations of enemy missiles, and a willingness to use them, could put air bases under siege like never before.

– China Security – Thomas P.M. Barnett takes a look at the Air Sea Battle Concept.

– Air Force – The unchecked growth of China’s military seems designed to blunt US advantages.

– AsiaEye – Has China launched an ocean-surveillance satellite constellation?

– The Diplomat – In this first in a series on the region’s navies, The Diplomat looks at how to measure naval power—including the US and China’s.

– New York Times – Why the younger generation of Chinese military officers dislikes the U.S.

– Defense Technology International – Has China cracked the secret of building stealth submarines?

– New York Times – The diplomatic discord set off by Japan’s recent detention of a Chinese fishing trawler captain points to what foreign military officials say is a growing source of friction along China’s borders: civilian vessels plying disputed waters — and sometimes acting as proxies for the Chinese Navy.

– The Diplomat – Reports of the death of the PLA’s naval expansion are exaggerated. Any lull in development is likely to prove temporary.

– Washington Post – Robert D. Kaplan writes that the greatest geopolitical development that has occurred largely beneath the radar of our Middle East-focused media over the past decade has been the rise of Chinese sea power.

– The Australian – Tensions between China and Japan are a worrying reminder that Asia’s maritime security order is under dangerous strain.

Thanks to Cris for the link!

– Asia Times – Among all of Beijing’s options to challenge US naval supremacy, the weapon that sends chills down China’s opponents’ spines is what is regarded as a Wunderwaffe, or wonder weapon, the Dong Feng 21D, the world’s first anti-ship ballistic missile. If the assessments of observers prove correct, China’s wonder weapon is to make its way into history books – with it, China would be able to take on the US Navy’s aircraft carriers, the pride of the US military.