The Times article quoted by Orac (above) also contained contrasting numbers on fleet size. Likely to be reasonably correct or aimed at justifying more money for the US Navy?
Chinese military expansion into Pacific ‘poses greatest threat to America and allies’
The report underlined the challenge in the Indo-Pacific, saying that China was developing “the world’s largest missile force, with nuclear capabilities, which is designed to strike US and allied forces in Guam and the Far East with everything from ballistic missiles to manoeuvrable cruise and hypersonic missiles”.
The report said that China’s naval battle force had tripled in size in two decades. It was now larger than the American warship strength, with 350 ships and submarines as against the US Navy’s 293. In August China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy demonstrated for the first time an ability to hit a moving vessel with a long-range anti-ship ballistic missile.