China's naval modernization and implications for the South China Sea

Abstract

This thesis analyzes the implications of Chinese navy modernization for the South China Sea. The PRC is modernizing and expanding its naval capacities for the purpose of protecting China's security, territorial, and economic interests. The PRC has placed a great deal of emphasis on modernizing its navy since the early 1990's. Specifically, Beijing has been purchasing Russian conventional naval arms designed to defeat and counter U.S. naval forces in the region. The transformation of China's navy from a coastal defense force to a blue water fleet capable of projecting force at sea will have serious economic, political, and security implications for the United States, as well as for those countries bordering China and the South China Sea.