China expands naval fleet to over 400 vessels

China is rapidly expanding its naval capabilities, with its fleet of warships and submarines now exceeding 400 vessels. According to data cited by the Wall Street Journal, this total is approximately 35% larger than the United States Navy in terms of ship count.

China is leveraging its massive commercial shipbuilding industry to support this military growth. Last year, China accounted for 52.6% of the global commercial shipbuilding tonnage, significantly outpacing South Korea at 27.6% and the United States at 0.01%. Since 2020, China has added 71 large warships and submarines, including 19 vessels last year alone.

The expansion includes more advanced hardware, such as the Type 055 class. While China classifies these 13,000-ton vessels as destroyers, the United States classifies them as guided-missile cruisers due to their size and firepower. In contrast, the United States faces challenges in expanding its fleet due to a weakened shipbuilding industrial base, despite doubling its shipbuilding budget over the last 20 years.