People's Liberation Army Navy

People's Liberation Army Navy
People's Liberation Army Navy
	Emblem of the People's Liberation Army Navy
Founded	23 April 1949
Country	People's Republic of China
Allegiance	Chinese Communist Party
Type	Navy
Role	Naval warfare
Size	400,000 active personnel (2024); 840 ships (2024); 800 aircraft (2024);
Part of	People's Liberation Army
March	人民海军向前进; ("The People's Navy Marches Forward")
Fleet	3 aircraft carriers; 4 landing helicopter docks; 12 amphibious transport docks; 32 landing ship tanks; 33 landing ship mediums; 58 destroyers; 54 frigates; 75 corvettes; 150 missile boats; 26 submarine chasers; 17+ gunboats; 36 mine countermeasure vessels; 79 submarines; 19 replenishment ships; 232 auxiliaries;
Engagements	Chinese Civil War; Vietnam War[citation needed]; Sino-Vietnamese War[citation needed]; Johnson South Reef Skirmish; Anti-piracy operations in Somalia;
Website	Official website
Commanders
Commander	Admiral Hu Zhongming
Political Commissar	Admiral Yuan Huazhi
Chief of Staff	Admiral Liu Zizhu
Insignia
Flag and ensign
Jack
Badge
Sleeve badge
Aircraft flown
Attack	JH-7
Bomber	H-6
Electronic; warfare	Y-8
Fighter	J-8, J-10, J-11, Su-30MK2, J-15
Helicopter	Z-8, Z-9, Mi-8, Z-10, Ka-28, AS365
Interceptor	J-7, J-8
Patrol	Y-8, Y-9
Reconnaissance	Y-9
Trainer	JL-8, JL-9
Transport	Y-7, Y-9
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese	中国人民解放军海军
Traditional Chinese	中國人民解放軍海軍
Literal meaning	China People Liberation Army Sea Army
Hanyu Pinyin
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Zhōngguó Rénmín Jiěfàngjūn Hǎijūn
People's Navy
Simplified Chinese	人民海军
Traditional Chinese	人民海軍
Literal meaning	People Navy
Hanyu Pinyin
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Rénmín Hǎijūn
Chinese Navy
Simplified Chinese	中国海军
Traditional Chinese	中國海軍
Literal meaning	China Navy
Hanyu Pinyin
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Zhōngguó Hǎijūn

The People's Liberation Army Navy^[a] (also known as People's Navy, Chinese Navy, or PLA Navy) is the maritime service branch of the People's Liberation Army, and the largest navy per number of ships in the world.^[5]^[6]

The PLAN traces its lineage to naval units fighting during the Chinese Civil War and was established on 23 April 1949.^[7]

Until the late 1980s, the PLAN was largely a riverine and littoral force (brown-water navy). In the 1990s, following the fall of the Soviet Union and a shift towards a more forward-oriented foreign and security policy, the leaders of the Chinese military were freed from worrying overland border disputes. Traditionally subordinated to the PLA Ground Force, PLAN leaders were now able to advocate for renewed attention toward the seas.

Chinese military officials have outlined plans to operate in the first and second island chains, and have worked towards blue water capability.^[8] Chinese strategists talk about the development of the PLAN from a green-water navy into "a regional blue-water defensive and offensive navy."^[9] As the PLAN has expanded into a blue-water navy, regular exercises and naval patrols have increased in the South China Sea within the Nine-dash line, the Senkaku Islands/Diaoyutai in the East China Sea, and the island of Taiwan, which it all claims as its territory.^[10]^[11]^[12] The People's Republic of China (PRC) along with the Republic of China (ROC), Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, and the Philippines claims a significant amount of maritime boundary located within the South China Sea.^[13]^[14] Some exercises and patrols of the PLA NAVY in recent years went as close as the coastline of Japan, Taiwan, and Alaska within their EEZ although undisputed territorial waters have been not been crossed except in cases of innocent passage.^[15]^[16]^[17]^[18]

The People's Liberation Army Navy is composed of five branches; the Submarine Force, the Surface Force, the Coastal Defense Force, the Marine Corps and the Naval Air Force.^{[citation needed]} With a personnel strength of 240,000 personnel, including 15,000 marines and 26,000 naval air force personnel,^[19] it is the second largest navy in the world by tonnage, at 2 million tons in 2021,^[20] only behind the United States Navy, and has the largest number of major surface combatants of any navy globally with an overall battle force of approximately 370 surface ships and submarines^[21]—in comparison, the United States Navy's battle force is approximately 292 ships and submarines.^[22]

^ "The PLA Oath" (PDF). February 2009. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2015. I am a member of the People's Liberation Army. I promise that I will follow the leadership of the Communist Party of China...
^ International Institute for Strategic Studies: The Military Balance 2023, p. 239.
^ International Institute for Strategic Studies: The Military Balance 2023, pp. 239–241.
^ International Institute for Strategic Studies: The Military Balance 2023, pp. 241–242.
^ Lendon, Brad (17 January 2023). "Expert's warning to US Navy on China: Bigger fleet almost always wins". CNN. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
^ "The state of the U.S. Navy as China builds up its naval force and threatens Taiwan". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
^ "中国人民解放军海军成立70周年多国海军活动新闻发布会在青岛举行". mod.gov.cn (in Chinese). Ministry of National Defence of the People's Republic of China. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
^ "China to conduct naval drills in Pacific amid tension". Reuters. 30 January 2013.
^ Ronald O'Rourke, "China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities – Background and Issues for Congress", 10 December 2012, p. 7
^ "Indonesia bolsters navy as China steps up incursions around ASEAN".
^ "Japanese Submarines to Counter Chinese Navy Incursions". Forbes.
^ "China says its carrier group exercising near Taiwan, drills will become regular". Reuters. 6 April 2021.
^ "What is nine-dash line? The basis of China's claim to sovereignty over South China Sea". Theprint.in. 28 July 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
^ "The Dispute Over the South China Sea" (PDF). Constitutional Rights Foundation. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
^ Gordon, Michael R.; Youssef, Nancy A. (6 August 2023). "WSJ News Exclusive | Russia and China Sent Large Naval Patrol Near Alaska". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
^ "Japan protests Chinese navy ship entering Japanese waters". Reuters. 8 June 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
^ Ogura, Brad Lendon,Junko (12 May 2023). "Chinese warships sail around Japan as tensions rise ahead of G7 summit". CNN. Retrieved 10 August 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ "China says Taiwan encirclement drills a 'serious warning'". AP News. 12 April 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
^ International Institute for Strategic Studies: The Military Balance 2018, p. 254.
^ Axe, David (5 November 2021). "Yes, China Has More Warships Than The USA. That's Because Chinese Ships Are Small". Forbes. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
^ "2023 China Military Power Report" (PDF). Media.defense.gov.
^ "Naval Vessel Register". nvr.navy.mil/.

Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

[1] "The PLA Oath" (PDF). February 2009. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2015. I am a member of the People's Liberation Army. I promise that I will follow the leadership of the Communist Party of China...

[IISS2023_p239-2] International Institute for Strategic Studies: The Military Balance 2023, p. 239.

[IISS2023_p239-241-3] International Institute for Strategic Studies: The Military Balance 2023, pp. 239–241.

[IISS2023_p241-242-4] International Institute for Strategic Studies: The Military Balance 2023, pp. 241–242.

[6] Lendon, Brad (17 January 2023). "Expert's warning to US Navy on China: Bigger fleet almost always wins". CNN. Retrieved 22 March 2023.

[7] "The state of the U.S. Navy as China builds up its naval force and threatens Taiwan". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 22 March 2023.

[中国人民解放军海军成立70周年多国海军活动新闻发布会在青岛举行-8] "中国人民解放军海军成立70周年多国海军活动新闻发布会在青岛举行". mod.gov.cn (in Chinese). Ministry of National Defence of the People's Republic of China. Retrieved 18 May 2020.

[9] "China to conduct naval drills in Pacific amid tension". Reuters. 30 January 2013.

[China-10] Ronald O'Rourke, "China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities – Background and Issues for Congress", 10 December 2012, p. 7

[11] "Indonesia bolsters navy as China steps up incursions around ASEAN".

[12] "Japanese Submarines to Counter Chinese Navy Incursions". Forbes.

[13] "China says its carrier group exercising near Taiwan, drills will become regular". Reuters. 6 April 2021.

[14] "What is nine-dash line? The basis of China's claim to sovereignty over South China Sea". Theprint.in. 28 July 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2022.

[15] "The Dispute Over the South China Sea" (PDF). Constitutional Rights Foundation. Retrieved 29 June 2022.

[16] Gordon, Michael R.; Youssef, Nancy A. (6 August 2023). "WSJ News Exclusive | Russia and China Sent Large Naval Patrol Near Alaska". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 10 August 2023.

[17] "Japan protests Chinese navy ship entering Japanese waters". Reuters. 8 June 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.

[18] Ogura, Brad Lendon,Junko (12 May 2023). "Chinese warships sail around Japan as tensions rise ahead of G7 summit". CNN. Retrieved 10 August 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[19] "China says Taiwan encirclement drills a 'serious warning'". AP News. 12 April 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.

[IISS2018_p254-20] International Institute for Strategic Studies: The Military Balance 2018, p. 254.

[axe_2021-11-05-21] Axe, David (5 November 2021). "Yes, China Has More Warships Than The USA. That's Because Chinese Ships Are Small". Forbes. Retrieved 12 April 2024.

[22] "2023 China Military Power Report" (PDF). Media.defense.gov.

[23] "Naval Vessel Register". nvr.navy.mil/.

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