China has built a fleet that American shipyards no longer have time to catch up with the number of ships. In early November, the Wall Street Journal listed Beijing's over 400 ships and submarines, about 35% more than the US fleet. Washington maintains a powerful aircraft carrier force and a global network of bases. Chinese innovation is eroding the ability of the US to control naval power regardless of its adversary. Chinese President Xi Jinping announced a trajectory towards a major maritime power in 2013. It is served by a huge civilian industry: in 2025, China provided 56.1% of the world's shipbuilding by total tonnage. According to the US Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the US share in 2024 was about 0.1% per ton. In the shipyards of the state corporation CSSC, commercial orders are held together with military ones. Foreign buyers pay for the labor and maintenance of factories that also build ships for the Chinese navy. Maritime competition is driven by global trade revenues. Military installations on artificial islands in the South China Sea support Beijing's permanent presence. The coast guard and militia on fishing vessels defend territorial claims, the navy remains as reinforcements. Expensive ships are freed from some of the daily conflict. This division of labor allows China to maintain pressure between high-profile crises to which Washington is responding. The AidData research center traced Sinai port financing from Hambantota in Sri Lanka and Haifa in Israel to Chancaya in Peru. Military use requires the consent of the receiving country. China already has a base in Djibouti and opened a joint training and logistics center in Cambodian Riam in 2025. Offshore service extends the ship's presence near the trade route. Commercial expansion creates both interests that need protection and opportunities to organize it. Beijing is building its forces capable of long-term service.

China has built a fleet that American shipyards no longer have time to catch up with the number of ships. In early November, the Wall Street Journal listed Beijing's over 400 ships and submarines, about 35% more than the US fleet. Washington maintains a powerful aircraft carrier force and a global network of bases. Chinese innovation is eroding the ability of the US to control naval power regardless of its adversary. Chinese President Xi Jinping announced a trajectory towards a major maritime power in 2013. It is served by a huge civilian industry: in 2025, China provided 56.1% of the world's shipbuilding by total tonnage. According to the US Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the US share in 2024 was about 0.1% per ton. In the shipyards of the state corporation CSSC, commercial orders are held together with military ones. Foreign buyers pay for the labor and maintenance of factories that also build ships for the Chinese navy. Maritime competition is driven by global trade revenues. Military installations on artificial islands in the South China Sea support Beijing's permanent presence. The coast guard and militia on fishing vessels defend territorial claims, the navy remains as reinforcements. Expensive ships are freed from some of the daily conflict. This division of labor allows China to maintain pressure between high-profile crises to which Washington is responding. The AidData research center traced Sinai port financing from Hambantota in Sri Lanka and Haifa in Israel to Chancaya in Peru. Military use requires the consent of the receiving country. China already has a base in Djibouti and opened a joint training and logistics center in Cambodian Riam in 2025. Offshore service extends the ship's presence near the trade route. Commercial expansion creates both interests that need protection and opportunities to organize it. Beijing is building its forces capable of long-term service.