China's Naval Power An Offensive Realist Approach Corbett Centre for Maritime Policy Studies Series

The rapid modernization of the Chinese Navy is a well-documented reality of the post-Cold War world. In two decades, the People's Liberation Army Navy has evolved from a backward force composed of obsolete platforms into a reasonably modern fleet whose growth is significantly shaking the naval balance in East Asia. The rationale behind China's contemporary rise at sea remains, however, difficult to grasp and few people have tried to see how the current structure of the international system has shaped Chinese choices. This book makes sense of Chinese priorities in its naval modernization in a 'robust' offensive realist framework. Drawing on Barry Posen's works on sources of military doctrine, it argues that the orientation of Beijing's choices concerning its naval forces can essentially be explained by China's position as a potential regional hegemon. Yves-Heng Lim highlights how a rising state develops naval power to fulfil its security objectives, a theoretical perspective that goes farther than the sole Chinese case.

Contents: Foreword, Thomas M. Kane; Introduction; Naval power and the quest for regional hegemony; China’s rise in East Asia: the political context of Beijing’s bid for regional hegemony; The offensive turn of China’s naval strategy and doctrine; The modernization of Chinese naval forces; Taiwan ... and beyond; Territorial and maritime issues in the China Seas; The great naval chessboard: sea power and the Chinese quest for hegemony; Conclusion; References; Index.

Yves-Heng Lim, Fujen Catholic University, Taiwan.