Publication

This paper describes the evolution of Chinese maritime combat theory and doctrine between 1949 and 2001. The author explains how since the early 1980s the Chinese navy has undergone a substantial transition, guided by a long term strategy laid down by Admiral Liu Huaqing. The paper details how the Chinese navy has formulated a number of guiding principles for force restructuring and deployment, including those of forward defense, layered defense and mobile campaigns. Yet, the author also points out that there is a disparity between the combat planning activities and actual capabilities of the navy, and states that many experts question whether the Chinese navy hence has any kind of realistic blue water strategy at all.