Is it time for China to establish its Blue Water Navy?

China's aircraft carrier Varyag under construction
By Rizwan Ghani
Following American Navy’s joint exercises with South Korea in Chinese waters, Beijing is under pressure to establish China Blue Water Navy (CBWN) and have its own aircraft carrier (AC). The supporters of CBWN within China want the Navy to protect country’s sovereignty, commercial interests and symbol of economic power. Independent observers think that CBWN will help restore multipolar world and make the world a safer place. Pro-Washington experts think that CBWN will help secure commercial lanes. Therefore, time is right for CBWN.
Washington maintains that US-South Korea naval exercises in Yellow Sea were directed against North Korea. However, the critics have raised alarms on rationality of US-South Korea naval drill with 90,000 troops and an AC in Yellow Sea, which under international laws and tradition is part of Chinese waters. Hillary Clinton’s statement that we are back in Asia has stoked anti-China apprehensions.
I think Washington may have won a battle here but has lost a war. The birth of CBWN is only a matter of time. This analogy should help the reader understand the seriousness of the matter. The US naval presence in Yellow Sea is just like Chinese Navy conducting exercises in waters of San Francisco.

China's Luda class Guided-missile destroyer

China's Luhu class Guided-missile destroyer
It is opined that CBWN is important to protect Beijing’s commercial interests. Fifty percent of global trade goes through South China Sea. The hawks in Beijing reject the argument that Japan is and has been an economic power without a navy. Furthermore, Japan has second biggest navy in the world. CBWN will actually further mutual trust between world’s major naval forces. Due to the well-connected nature of modern commerce, CBWN should not be a threat to rest of the world.
CBWN will have to be made if Beijing wants to protect its territorial waters, territorial integrity to preserve the very concept of nation-state.
Peoples Liberation Army supports CBWN. It is a symbol of international prowess and national pride. It will help restore balance of power in international areas as world shifts towards multipolar world. CBWN will help develop freedom of movement in international waters, and international port calls will improve bilateral relations.
In the wake of growing international naval cooperation in the region, Islamabad should welcome idea of CBWN. For mutual benefits, CBWN allows widening of existing Pak-China naval cooperation to Indian Ocean and beyond. The sharing of AC technology and development of anti-AC missile with China will help improve Pakistan’s defense and protect national interests. A stronger Pakistan serves region’s interests including China. (From Pakistan Observer)
Is it time for China  to establish its Blue Water Navy?
Poll Options ( single choice )Number of participants 46
1. Yes.
37 (80.43%)
2. No.
9 (19.57%)
3. Hard to say.
0 (0.00%)
4. Unclear.
0 (0.00%)
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Replies
2010-9-1 09:41
1#
"VULNERABILITY AT STAKE"
The cost to maintain an ongoing carrier class vessel is enormous and painstaking while it is extremely vulnerable to total destruction in one go or nothing else matters since it is going to be destroyed with nuke warhead. The days of sea guerrilla warfare are outdated where navies (such as German vs English and Japanese vs American) sought each other out and fought for months and years long with reconnaissance helps from above (air forces) and underwater naval submarines.
Today's cyber technologies enlarge the war games from spies above our heads well beyond binocular eyes, long distant land surveillances and much smarter naval contingents of frigates like a superior spider's web. China should adopt century old spider's wisdom with its complex web of communications, attacking, retaliating and countering attack tactics within its webs of influence. Whereas by going beyond its zone of web control, just like USA's navy is doing right now is a dead end venture indeed for YOU can't tell if Japan, S Korea, Vietnam & China's Taiwan will get to its help in time of actual confrontation in real term when cannons are running red hot. The nationals of "depending nations to help" may turn against their own political ideas and ideal wishes as many had fought long long long wars against the invading USA & NATO; that is, sentiments of people will change when shits really hit the fences which is called "awakening". Hence, carriers can't rely on others to replenish at will and at all times!
If therefore the US commanders and US commander-in-chief (President of the USA) can't read such decade old sentiments, then there is NO way to win any real wars in the East Asian Zone at all at whatever cost and price paid and to be paid. Likewise, if China's new ambition to get its carrier to the seas and oceans, it might just as well spend more time, effort and money to develop its very own super superior solar driven drone spies / sates and nuclear driven very quiet subs which can and will travel endlessly without parking to refuel other than re-fooding the subs of people. In this manner, YOU can rein superiority with supreme command of the sea lanes in peaceful time as well as during turbulent times; that is, if it is NOT China's ambition to establish colonial rules over others like the NATO nations had been in failure and are foolishly doing so at huge national costs to their people demises, tragic endings and disasters at home. Can't they study and learn from past records?
In the case of China, is there a rule and law to say that a commercial vessel can't be manned by naval experts and fighters of the PLA to ensure that each ship sails safely to its destinations?  Build super tankers and cargo going ships equipped with a couple of mounted fierce missiles front and back may just do enough to deter and fight off a tiny pocket of sea pirates.  If any navy can't even fight and ward off or scare off some pirates in the seas, what chance is there to survive 10 minutes longer in an open sea warfare between nations today or tomorrow? Sometimes, these shoeless and shirtless somali and malacca piracy issues become so cartoonist that is not even worth a thought on it. See the point here?
**Note:
There is NO chance at all for the disturbing / provocative US navy and its 'questionable partners' in the name of war to win anything in reality in the vicinity of East Asia, in particular, if Mad Clinton couldn't see then there should be many who can. Just as foolish, USA & NATO had just learnt that its / their Iraqi offensives and invasion have brought more climate change disasters, calamities, diseases, human deformations, sudden hungers, sudden poverty, total national destructions of ONE RICH COUNTRY of oil or crude (*not just saddam & family*) and human suffering with no limbs and eyeless beyond imagination in this new century. Now, to depart in shame to an once-upon-a-time rich Iraq; leaving it abandoned with total national disorder which will never end for the religious warlords and ethnics are turning against each other again. Mid _East should now wish that Saddam relives; won’t they?
That is the most sinful delivery of the USA to-date without a speck of doubt by such cruel invasion of a proper sovereign nation which carried NO, NO, NO WMD material ever before and after the cruel invasion:= please record this as another ‘human rights record ‘ at the UN Royal Charters. Not sure how these invaders can sleep or rest in the sun or on horse backs in the fields while the suffering goes on.
See here:
The Aussie Media is mourning just 3 soldiers dead in the Afghan war very loudly, but has Aussie politicians considered that hundreds of thousands were killed, mauled and injured by them all with its soldiers in Iraq and Afghan?  Yet, despite of its hung parliament, none has voiced concern about the deaths and destructions of others while counting just under 0.00001% casualty relative to innocent others. This world of politicians and citizens alike are so ruthlessly blind, aren’t they?
What have the Iraqi and Afghan people done wrong to the Aussie in the first place to warrant such massive killings, suffering and destructions in those countries?
Carriers are NO deterrent weapons but at very risky costs of all things and living beings in a flash!