A handy guide for those interested...
DefenseNews.com: China’s Navy, According to the U.S. Navy - ONI Publishes Detailed Portrait of Chinese Service
Those who argue for an increase in U.S. naval spending often point to China and the rapid and extensive growth of the People’s Liberation Army Navy, but good reference material on the PLAN has been scarce. Now, the U.S. Navy’s Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) has stepped in to fill that gap, producing a 144-page handbook on the world’s fastest-growing navy.
“China’s Navy 2007,” released in early March, is intended to “foster a better understanding” of the PLAN, according to William Tarry, director of the Naval Analysis Directorate.
In the handbook’s preface, Terry says that the handbook is not an analysis of trends or intent, but is meant to educate and inform readers “during this time of greater contact” between the U.S. Navy and the PLAN.
The book, available as an
Adobe Acrobat PDF file, does not include the many illustrations and multiple lists of ships or ship types found in standard reference works. But it is packed with information on the PLAN’s leadership and bureaucratic organization, how its personnel system works, where its forces are based and organized and how its political system works. A concise history of the Chinese Navy is included, along with separate chapters on submarines, surface forces, naval aviation, coastal defense forces, marines and weapon systems. One chapter is devoted to quality of life, and a handy six-page glossary of Chinese terms is included.
This is a sophisticated description of a naval service that can inform the ongoing debate regarding the capabilities and intentions of China’s leaders.