RUSI – This paper seeks to outline the likely scope of a putative presence of the People’s Liberation Army Navy in and around the Euro-Atlantic in the next 15 years and the nature of the foreign policy it will support.

China Daily – In a bid to bolster collaborative maritime security efforts, China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy convened naval leaders from 18 countries across the Gulf of Guinea region in Shanghai on Wednesday for the second seminar on the Gulf of Guinea maritime security situation.

China Maritime Studies Institute – The PLA Navy Reserve is an important and understudied element of PRC maritime power that could augment the active-duty force and improve its ability to undertake global operations and wage a protracted war.

The PLAN Reserve appears to be transitioning from a substandard backup force to an increasingly well-trained complement to the active-duty force.

In the past, the PLAN Reserve suffered from low morale and lackluster participation. Training scandals occurred in which navy reservists did not muster up when recalled for training. It is unclear to what extent these problems persist today.

The overhaul of the PLAN’s reserve components, specifically the integration of the PLAN Reserve into a centralized command structure and the introduction of new legislative and policy reforms, constitutes a serious effort to enhance operational effectiveness, increase mobilization speeds, and improve readiness.

The PLAN Reserve is remarkably opaque. While little has been publicly revealed about this shadowy force, future research may offer opportunities to develop early-warning indicators and help reveal plans, intentions, and capabilities.

The War Zone – Additional photos provide a more detailed look at the mysterious Chinese flattop that TWZ was first to report on, and which recently went to sea, apparently for its first trials. While the exact function of this vessel remains murky, the recently published photos do confirm that it’s intended to operate rotary-wing aircraft (perhaps in addition to fixed-wing drones), but there are no obvious signs of catapults or arrester cables of the kind that would be used for operating heavier fixed-wing types. There is also no indication that the vessel has a floodable well deck like those found on many amphibious warfare ships.

China Maritime Studies Institute – Pending investigation, Xi Jinping’s protégé Admiral Miao Hua (苗华) has been suspended from his duties as a member of China’s Central Military Commission (CMC) and Director of the CMC Political Work Department. This decision was made by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s Central Committee, Defense Spokesperson Senior Colonel Wu Qian announced at the scheduled monthly PLA press briefing on 28 November 2024, because Miao is “suspected of serious violation of discipline.”2 By the time such CCP investigations become public, conviction is a foregone conclusion. Miao’s fall thus raises three principal questions: Why is he being removed, will his cronies suffer similarly, and what does it mean for China’s navy and military?

The War Zone – A mysterious Chinese vessel with a large open flight deck and three superstructures, which TWZ was first to report on, looks to have made its maiden voyage. Details about the flattop, which currently has various commercial-style rather than military markings and is unlike any other established Chinese Navy vessel class, are still scant. There remains a possibility that this could be a first-of-its-kind ostensibly civilian research ship.

China Maritime Studies Institute – In recent years, with the expansion of mission tasks, multiple services and multiple aircraft types organizing training at the same Southern Theater Command Navy aviation airfield station has gradually become the norm. In the face of increasingly heavy combat training support tasks, they closely monitor powerful enem(ies), accelerate transformation and construction, and have achieved a historic leap from single aircraft-type support to multiple aircraft-types support, from small flying periods of short-term deployed training support to large flying periods of regularized deployed training support, and from daytime simple meteorological conditions support to allweather support, with core support capabilities being comprehensively enhanced.

Breaking Defense – The head of US Indo-Pacific Command, Adm. Samuel Paparo, told an audience today that in exchange for North Korean troops and artillery, Moscow “will likely” provide Pyongyang with missile and submarine technology. And in exchange for China helping to rebuild “Russia’s war machine,” Paparo anticipates that Moscow will also be sharing submarine technology with Beijing, a move that has the “potential of closing American undersea dominance to the PRC.”

National Interest – James Holmes writes that Latin America merits attention in its own right, but it also represents a southerly vector in the U.S. strategic competition against China.

The War Zone – concept for an unprecedently large diesel-electric drone submarine, as big as some crewed types in service today, has emerged from China’s top state-run shipbuilding conglomerate. The design is said to be reconfigurable to conduct different missions, including attacks on enemy vessels, mine-laying, special operations support, and act as a mothership for smaller uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUV). There is a very strong possibility this is related to an extremely similar-looking mystery submarine that emerged in China six years ago.

China Maritime Studies Institute – Through concerted efforts over the past quarter-century, the People’s Republic of China has achieved the most dramatic military buildup since World War II. Previously limited in its ability to conduct its Joint Firepower Strike, Joint Blockade, and Joint Island Landing Campaigns against Taiwan, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is making rapid progress across the board as it prepares to meet the requirements of Xi Jinping’s Taiwan-focused Centennial Military Building Goal of 2027. Drawing on research, writing, and insights from some of the world’s leading experts, CMSI’s latest edited conference volume probes key questions concerning Beijing’s determined pursuit of the Chinese Communist Party’s ultimate political and strategic prize: How might the PLA attempt to execute a Joint Island Landing Campaign to achieve a cross-Strait invasion of Taiwan, what might be its prospects for success, and what must Taiwan—with American support—do urgently to shore up deterrence? The findings are nuanced but bracing. The saving grace, till now, is that Taiwan enjoys formidable defensive geography, and a large-scale amphibious invasion is one of the most difficult military operations to accomplish. However, under Xi’s concerted directives, China’s military is reforming relentlessly, bringing critical new capabilities to bear, and training tirelessly to improve its ability to carry out the operations on which it is bore-sighted. The stakes could scarcely be higher, and the clock is ticking.

Naval News – New imagery shared on social media has provided significant new details on characteristics of two new naval vessels at Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) at Longxue Island, Guangzhou. The Chinese designs are distinct concepts notionally serving as an experimental carrier for VTOL-drones or helicopters, and as an uncrewed or optionally crewed surface vessel (USV).

The War Zone – Boasting advanced avionics, Chinese-made engines, and catapult launch compatibility, the J-15T will serve aboard all of China’s aircraft carriers.

China Maritime Studies Institute – Sea mines are a type of cheap, easy to produce naval weapon that can be used both offensively and defensively. They have played a huge tactical role and even a strategic role in many wars from ancient times to the present day. Sea mines have low production costs, and they are powerful, simple to use, easy to emplace, and difficult to remove. They are characterized by the long-term threat they can pose to ports and shipping lanes. Countering sea mines is relatively difficult and requires the expenditure of rather large resources by the side conducting mine countermeasure operations.

War on the Rocks – The voyage of the Meishan and Xiushan marked another breakthrough, that, while less obvious, may be even more important. It was the first time the China Coast Guard had ever conducted a “blue-water” paranaval operation. The composition of the task force (modified naval frigates), its leadership (a career naval officer), and the secrecy that attended its activities all differed from out-of-area coast guard patrols of the past. These facts, combined with Chinese framing of the mission, suggest that Beijing regarded the deployment as an operation to defend and advance its overseas interests, making it more “gray” (that is, naval) than “white” (coast guard).

The War Zone – The new Chinese jets appeared during unprecedented dual-carrier operations in the strategically important South China Sea.

The War Zone – The vessel, which appears to have been built very quickly, has features in line with an amphibious assault ship or small carrier.

Forces News – China’s naval power is growing, having an impact on regional tensions and seeing ships from neighbouring nations targeted by Beijing’s fleet. However, according to one expert, China’s navy is not trying to dominate the world’s oceans, which begs the question, what is it trying to do? Professor Andrew Lambert, Laughton Professor of Naval History in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London, said it is attempting to “maintain control of a vital sea area”.

Breaking Defense – As China increasingly engages in what the US calls dangerous behavior against its regional neighbors in the contentious South China Sea, Beijing also aims to raise its situational awareness there with new radar facilities on a tiny island.

China Maritime Studies Institute – In the summer of 2024, two Chinese oceanographic survey ships—the Xiang Yang Hong 01 and Kexue—conducted marine scientific research activities in the Bering Sea. Their actions represented a significant expansion of PRC marine data collection in this region.

The Bering Sea is a key segment in the sea lanes connecting China with the Arctic Ocean. Thus, the operations of these two vessels should be understood as part of the unprecedented ramp-up in Beijing’s Arctic endeavors that occurred in 2024.

The main purposes of the two Bering Sea cruises are unknown. However, both ships were built to meet military requirements, at least in part. Even if they were just conducting basic marine science, the data they collected is inherently dual-use and will be shared with the Chinese military, improving its awareness of the operating environment.

The Xiang Yang Hong 01 operated in Russia’s EEZ and visited a Russian military port, demonstrating a high degree of Russian support for PRC activities in the region.

Both ships conducted marine scientific research in waters above the U.S.-claimed extended continental shelf. If their operations involved surveys of the seabed, they would constitute a direct challenge to the U.S. maritime claim.

National Interest – James Holmes says that once upon a time, China went out of its way to allay anxieties roused by its power and ambition. Then it stopped. Its new charm offensive would prove likewise perishable, to be scrapped once the party felt at liberty to resume its campaign for sovereignty within the nine-dashed line.

Global Times – The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy has loosened the criteria for recruiting pilots for carrier-based aircraft by including young candidates who have received vision correction surgeries.

USNI News – China launched a large-scale, one-day military drill Monday that simulated a blockade of Taiwan. The exercise, code-named “Joint Sword – 2024B,” involved the People’s Liberation Army Navy, PLA Air Force, PLA Rocket Force and China Coast Guard. The drill was a response to Taiwan President Lai Ching-te’s National Day speech, in which he asserted Taiwan’s independence from China.
“The Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China are not subordinate to each other,” Lai said on Thursday and “The People’s Republic of China has no right to represent Taiwan.”

Naval News – A new image circulating on Chinese social media and subsequently on “X” (formerly Twitter) revealed more details on the new Type 09IIIB nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN) produced at Chinese shipyard Bohai in Huludao for the Chinese Navy (PLAN). The image shows the new submarine underway, presumably taken from a boat or coastal location nearby. It is only the second ground-based photo of the new generation SSN, with previous imagery being exclusively satellite-sourced.

China Maritime Studies Institute – With the new generation of Philippine government taking office, U.S.-Philippines relations have rapidly warmed, and the depth and breadth of their military cooperation have increased. This has brought new challenges and threats to China’s national security. How to deal with these challenges will be a difficult problem before us.