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.

The War Zone – The first of China’s new class of big-deck amphibious assault ships is rapidly taking shape and we can now get a much better look at the vessel’s twin-island configuration. The design choice is typically made to simplify air operations and is very likely another indicator of this class of vessels being tailored, at least in part, for going to sea with enhanced air wings that include larger types of drones.

BBC – The Cambodian government has repeatedly denied such a possibility, citing its constitution which bans any permanent foreign military presence, and stating that the naval base at Ream is open to use by all friendly navies.

China Maritime Studies Institute – In April of this year, the U.S. Department of Defense released a China military power report, which stated that the Chinese Navy currently has at least six Type 094 ballistic missile nuclear submarines, and has the capability for at least one of them to be on continuous readiness duty. It also said that this is the first time it has been possible for the Chinese Navy to permanently maintain at least one strategic missile nuclear submarine at sea to perform strategic duty tasks. So, what is “continuous readiness duty” (quatianhou zhanbei zhiban), how can it be achieved, and why did the Chinese Navy only just now acquire this capability? With these questions in mind, we interviewed Professor Chi Guocang (迟国仓) of the PLAN Submarine Academy and asked him to give us a detailed explanation.

USNI News – China’s Coast Guard is for the first time operating in the Bering Sea as Beijing increasingly uses the Northern Sea Route for shipping, the U.S. commander of the 17th Coast Guard District said this week.

The War Zone – The mysterious Chinese submarine that apparently sunk in a shipyard earlier this year was the first of a new class featuring a hybrid nuclear/conventional propulsion system, according to a new report. The latest development in the saga of the Type 041 Zhou class submarine would seem to clear up some of the previous uncertainty about the boat as well as signal that China is working on novel solutions for its fast-growing underwater fleet.

USNI News – While the United States is unrivaled in projecting military power from 500-plus overseas bases, China’s investments in ports and communication technology globally show Beijing’s footprint approach as a possible means to a similar end, a panel said last week.

National Interest – James Holmes writes that the Chinese Communist Party have a political problem on their hands. The unnamed U.S. official who disclosed the Type 041 disaster to the press observed that, “in addition to the obvious questions about training standards and equipment quality, the incident raises deeper questions about the PLA’s internal accountability and oversight of China’s defense industry—which has long been plagued by corruption.”

BBC – A Chinese nuclear-powered attack submarine sank in its dock earlier this year while under construction, in a major setback for the Chinese military, according to US defence officials.

Breaking Defense – Ben Ho in this op-ed maintains that should China deploy flattops in an anti-access Taiwan strategy, it would likely be as “fleets-in-being.”

China Maritime Studies Institute – Since the mid-2010s, there has been a concerted effort to professionalize a PLAN “blue force” as an opposition force, or OPFOR, in maritime exercises and training. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) routinely refers to its blue forces as metaphorical “whetstones” used to sharpen the PLA for a future fight against enemies of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Efforts to develop a PLAN blue force appear to have accelerated over the past several years in response to Chairman Xi Jinping’s decade-long demand for more realistic combat training.

This report examines recent developments in the PLAN’s blue force. It comprises four sections. Part one provides background on PLAN efforts to professionalize its maritime blue force. Part two describes the PLAN’s blue force training units. Part three examines companies producing equipment and virtual environments for China’s blue force units, while part four discusses current blue force capabilities. The report concludes with a summary of findings and implications for the United States, its allies, and partners.

USNI News – Sabina Shoal, known to the Philippines as Escoda and by China as Xianbin Jiao, is the latest flashpoint in the South China Sea between Manila and Beijing. Located 75 nautical miles from the Philippine province of Palawan, the standoff at the maritime feature started in April following claims by the Philippines that China began an island reclamation project.

USNI News – Sending three icebreakers into Arctic waters for the first time is “a clear signal” that Beijing is serious about pursuing its great power ambitions commercially, scientifically, diplomatically and militarily in the polar regions

The War Zone – The ship has some puzzling features that point to it being even more experimental in nature than originally thought.

BBC – Miserable winter weather, snow on Table Mountain and gale force winds have not dampened Cape Town residents’ enthusiasm for free medical care being offered on a Chinese ship, currently docked in the South African city’s harbour.

War on the Rocks – Chinese leader Xi Jinping underscored mainland defense on July 30 with a speech to the Chinese Communist Party’s politburo standing committee group study session on China’s border, coastal, and air defense (边海空防).

USNI News – A resupply mission to the Philippine Coast Guard’s flagship stationed at a contested South China Sea feature was blocked by 40 Chinese vessels in the latest incident around Escoda Shoal, according to Manila.