{"id":33887,"date":"2018-08-14T18:10:02","date_gmt":"2018-08-14T18:10:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2018\/08\/14\/chinas-military-capabilities-are-booming-but-does-its-defense-industry-mirror-that-trend\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:47:36","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:47:36","slug":"chinas-military-capabilities-are-booming-but-does-its-defense-industry-mirror-that-trend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/top-100\/2018\/08\/14\/chinas-military-capabilities-are-booming-but-does-its-defense-industry-mirror-that-trend\/","title":{"rendered":"China\u2019s military capabilities are booming, but does its defense industry mirror that trend?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

MELBOURNE, Australia \u2014 China\u2019s massive military modernization program over the past two decades has been matched to a large degree by a parallel development in its state-owned military-industrial base<\/a>, and that trend is set to continue as China continues it efforts to build up its forces to challenge U.S. military primacy in the western Pacific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite accusations that a lot of the technology has been acquired through espionage or outright intellectual property theft, there is no question that China\u2019s military might has taken a big leap in capabilities since the turn of the century as it has transformed itself into an economic powerhouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This buildup is most evident at sea, where the ships of the People\u2019s Liberation Army Navy, or PLAN, are frequently encountered by the navies of China\u2019s neighbors at sea in greater numbers at longer and longer distances from China\u2019s coastline. They have also been appearing frequently at or near the disputed reefs and features in the South China Sea, which China has reclaimed and turned into military outposts. The country has regularly challenged U.S. military ships in the area and harassed those from the rival claimants of the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See this year\u2019s Top 100 list here!<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of the PLAN\u2019s ships are built by two state-owned shipbuilding behemoths, the China State Shipbuilding Corporation and the China Shipbuilding Industry Company. Together both companies have primarily been responsible for the Chinese naval buildup, with the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies noting earlier this year that China \u201chas launched more submarines, warships, principal amphibious vessels and auxiliaries than the total number of ships currently serving in the navies of Germany, India, Spain, Taiwan and the United Kingdom\u201d since 2014.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The think tank further noted that following a period in the 1990s and early 2000s when China experimented with small classes of incrementally improved designs, it has in recent years settled on designs and shifted its priorities toward putting ships in the water at a rapid clip, in what has been likened to \u201cdropping dumplings into soup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The results have been impressive to see, with almost 50 Type 056 corvettes and more than 20 Type 054 frigates commissioned within the last decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\t