Coauthor, with Lyle Goldstein, of “Chinese Perspectives on Maritime Transformation,” pp. xiii-xxxvi;

and “China Studies the Rise of the Great Powers,” pp. 401-25. Required reading for the Naval War College Strategy and Policy Department’s Senior Leadership Course.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

China’s turn toward the sea is evident in its stunning rise in global shipbuilding markets, its expanding merchant marine, its wide reach of offshore energy exploration, its growing fishing fleet, and its increasingly modern navy. Unlike other works that view China in isolation, this comprehensive assessment of China’s potential as a genuine maritime power places China in a larger world historical context. The authors, all authorities on their respective historical eras, examine cases of attempted maritime transformation through the ages, from the Persian Empire to the Soviet Union, and determine the reasons for success or failure. Without underestimating the enduring pull of China’s past as it embodies threats to the country’s internal stability and its landward borders, this comparative study provides reasons to believe–despite continued skepticism–that China has turned the corner on maritime transformation. If this proves to be true, the authors contend, such a transformation would be an extraordinary event in the history of the last two millennia. Their work updates other books written on the subject that have been overtaken by China’s rapid strategic and technological change. Readers will especially appreciate the book’s detailed maps and forward-looking analytical framework for understanding the future of Asian maritime power.

BLURBS (FULL-LENGTH)

“Throughout Asia today, China dominates the conversation. …This valuable new book… provides in one volume a comprehensive assessment of China’s naval development, the principal historical precedents, and the complex thought process that guides the Chinese Navy’s leadership.”

–Admiral Walter F. Doran, USN (Ret.), former Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet

“The maritime history of China has long been a neglected field. The absorbing interpretive essays in China goes to Sea bring that knowledge-gap to an end…. This volume will be an indispensable companion to those readers seeking to understand where China’s navy may be heading.”

–Jonathan Spence, Yale University, author of Treason by the Book and The Search for Modern China

“…a veritable feast of delights. It shows how important Chinese maritime power is likely to be for the rest of us, but also how complex that issue actually is. It identifies so many lessons, and it establishes the dangers, limits and opportunities so well that we must hope that Chinese policy-makers also read this deeply authoritative book closely, for their sake, as well as for ours.”

–Geoffrey Till, Corbett Centre for Maritime Policy Studies, UK, author of Seapower: A Guide for the 21st Century

“This is an original and well-designed collection of scholarly essays on the larger historical context of China’s current maritime growth. … an important read.”

–Paul Kennedy, Yale University, author of The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers

“This book deserves to be read by every career Navy and Marine officer and then retained on his/her bookshelf.”

–Rear Admiral Ronald J. Kurth, USN (Ret.)

“…a remarkable collection of essays by a group of outstanding scholars. … Current developments make it essential reading for students of China, strategy, and international relations.”

–Donald Kagan, Yale University, author of On the Origins of War and The Peloponnesian War

“Among its many other merits, it provides a valuable window into what the Chinese themselves are thinking about strategic maritime matters.”

–John Curtis Perry, The Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy, Tufts University

“…a major contribution to the development of a comparative and historical perspective on contemporary China’s growing maritime ambitions. …essential reading for scholars and policy makers concerned about Chinese defense policy and developments in Chinese maritime policy.”

–Robert S. Ross, Professor of Political Science, Boston College

REVIEWS

“China Goes to Sea is to be welcomed for all the right scholarly reasons and its contributors are to be congratulated for shedding further light on the fascinating yet manifestly unfinished story of China’s maritime transformation.”

–Malcolm H. Murfett, National University of Singapore, International Journal of Maritime History, Vol. 22, No. 1 (June 2010), pp. 384-86.

“The excellent idea behind this collection is the historical comparison of how other powers in other times have made the transition from land to sea power. … In addition to its portraits and perceptions of Chinese naval expansion, the book has fine introductions to more obscure topics, such as the Ottomans. …Especially for policy makers. Summing up: Highly recommended. Most levels/libraries.”

–R. Higham, emeritus, Kansas State University, Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, Vol. 47, No. 9 (May 2010).

“…important not only for those working in naval studies and for sinologists, but also for scholars concerned with the idea of strategic culture and its application.”

–Jeremy Black, University of Exeter, Naval War College Review, Vol. 63, No. 3 (Summer 2010), pp. 156-57.

“This is a vital book that ought to be read by all the world’s political leaders and their advisors, senior military personnel and pro-active business people. Not only does it, as it claims, put China’s maritime transformation into historical perspective, it puts almost all maritime commerce into historical perspective. In analysing China’s current situation, it provides a brilliant overview of global commercial history.”

–Ships and Shipping (March 2010), p. 37.

“…The last two parts of the book look just at China. They consist of three particularly stimulating chapters which look at the rise and fall of Chinese seapower in the past and four which explore possible trajectories into the future. What emerges is a picture of the Chinese pragmatically transforming themselves (back?) into a sea-faring nation …an excellent book which sparks ideas about a lot more than ‘just’ the maritime transformation of China.”

–Anonymous reviewer, 10 February 2010.

“The third book in the Studies in Chinese Maritime Development series, this volume includes maps and essays on the nation’s seagoing endeavors from ancient times to the present.”

–Katherine Duke, “Short Takes,” Amherst Magazine, Winter 2010.

“Placing China’s efforts to expand its maritime power in historical context, the authors contend that the country may finally be on the verge of transforming itself from a strictly continental to a maritime power.”

–Survival, Vol. 52, No. 1 (February-March 2010), p. 229.

“compares historical examples dating from the Persian Empire’s maritime transformation in 550-490 BC to China’s ongoing metamorphosis, expertly addressing the factors influencing China’s turn to the sea. … This volume includes excellent work… highlighting a number of ways in which China appears to be deviating from the path historical precedence would seem to dictate. …evidence that China’s path may not replicate historical examples is offered by Erickson and Goldstein, who provide an excellent overview of how Beijing has studied the rise of great powers in hopes of emulating successes and avoiding pitfalls. Carnes Lord reviews the factors that led to failed maritime transformations and finds no compelling reason that China’s turn to the sea will fail. Instead, he finds a country that has accurately identified its geostrategic vulnerability to seaward attack and has adjusted its maritime policies to these changing security requirements. Lord’s only question is the pace and degree of China’s maritime transformation.”

–Scott W. Bray (the U.S. Navy’s Senior Intelligence Officer for China), “Turning to the Sea… This Time to Stay,” Book Review Essay, Asia Policy, No. 9 (January 2010), pp. 167-72.

“should be required reading for anyone interested in either China or, more broadly, maritime strategy. … Whether China is able to achieve what few nations in the past have done and transform itself from a continentalist past to a maritime future is an issue that will continue to be addressed for years to come. … This book is an extremely valuable contribution to that debate.”

–Capt. Gordon Andrew, RAN, Australian Defence Force Journal (Issue No. 180, 2009), pp. 85-86.

“Comprising a collection of essays from 17 clear headed and far sighted scholars it succinctly analyses present day China and its position in the maritime world, indeed in the whole world. This is one of those rare books that delivers vastly more than it promises. A fine piece of literary jewellery full of smaller gems.”

–Baird Maritime, 10 August 2009.

“…an impressive study with a sophisticated and comparative approach, a worthy addition to any library. It is an informative read that will please history-buffs and political-wonks alike.”

–Xinhui, China Defense Blog, 4 August 2009.

Coauthor, “Introduction,” pp. xi-xix; with Gabriel Collins, of “Chinese Efforts to Create a National Tanker Fleet,” pp. 81-114; and, with Lyle Goldstein and Gabriel Collins, of “Chinese Naval Analysts Consider the Energy Question,” pp. 299-335.

SAMPLE CHAPTER: Dan Blumenthal, “Concerns with Respect to China’s Energy Policy,” pp. 418-36.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

China’s rapid growth has prompted Beijing to undertake an aggressive search for resources on a truly global scale. The resource most directly tied to continued growth in China is energy. Rising consumer appetites in China, coupled with occasional rolling blackouts due to spiraling demand in Chinese cities, have prompted intense anxieties in China concerning energy security. Since 80 percent of Chinese fossil fuel imports pass by ship through the Malacca Strait, an important component of Beijing’s concerns have come to be known in China as the “Malacca Dilemma.” This book draws on America’s finest experts in the fields of economics, energy, China studies, and naval strategy in order to explore China’s “Malacca Dilemma” and its implications for global maritime security. The essays in this volume draw from a wide variety of viewpoints, but a central theme of the analyses is that the United States needs to be concerned that China is drawing upon much of the world’s remaining oil reserves for its exclusive use. The resulting competition for this diminishing resource could lead to energy insecurity and may support other tendencies toward rivalry that in turn could foster a naval arms race neither side seeks. One of the major conclusions of this study is that there is, in fact, ample room for Sino-American energy dialogue and cooperation in the maritime domain and that the competition for limited energy sources like oil need not lead to conflict.

BLURBS

“This book is a comprehensive assessment of China’s overall and maritime energy security strategies; as important, it provides clear and detailed guides to judge the nature of future Chinese naval developments and overall Chinese security strategy.”

–Admiral Dennis Blair, U.S. Navy (Ret.), former Commander, U.S. Pacific Command

“…a necessary read for anyone interested in the future of the People’s Republic of China’s energy development and its strategic implications for the U.S., with particular attention to maritime development in both countries. The book tackles the prospects for China’s energy development in a remarkably comprehensive, nuanced fashion. It evaluates Chinese perspectives and prospects, analyzes the PRC’s capabilities in each relevant global region, and dissects the PLA Navy’s capabilities with respect to energy security issues. The authors, including those writing for the final section, which analyzes the implications for U.S. policy, carefully identify inevitable uncertainties and analytical disagreements. On balance, the book stresses the room for U.S.-China energy cooperation in the maritime domain. Importantly, it provides the rich array of data and analysis necessary for readers to develop their own deeply informed perspectives on this issue.”

–Dr. Kenneth Lieberthal, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Political Science, University of Michigan and former Senior Director for Asia on the National Security Council

“Comprehensive, diverse and essential for national security professionals… a subject we must understand clearly for our Asia-Pacific future.”

–Admiral Thomas B. Fargo, U.S. Navy (Ret.), former Commander, U.S. Pacific Command

REVIEWS

“The China Maritime Studies Institute… is fast becoming a center of excellence for research on all aspects of the Chinese navy. … all the contributions are excellent… The beauty of this book comes in different forms. As the editors indicate in their introduction, the contributors do not always agree. … Important statistics are also provided. …provides the latest scholarship. Further enhancing the book’s value is that the contributors are all actively involved in shaping this multifaceted debate in their respective institutions. … This reviewer could not exaggerate the importance of this book in understanding the issues shaping the development of the Chinese navy.”

–Richard Desjardins (Canadian civil servant), Joint Force Quarterly, issue 57, second quarter 2010, pp. 132-33.

“[the authors] have described the drivers of China’s quest for a limited power projection capability—and they did so well before Beijing’s December 2008 decision to deploy a series of task groups to the Gulf of Aden in order to protect shipping from an onslaught of pirate attacks. … This volume makes the case that Beijing’s desire to ensure steady and secure access to the energy resources required to continue the momentum of China’s economic growth will ‘compel the PLAN [People’s Liberation Army Navy] to be used increasingly in nonconflict situations in a wider variety of regions.’ The PLAN’s actions today certainly support this argument; Beijing’s naval task groups in the Gulf of Aden are operating thousands of miles from China to protect merchant shipping, much of which is transporting oil. … details how important maritime commerce is to China’s continued economic development.”

–Scott W. Bray (the U.S. Navy’s Senior Intelligence Officer for China), “Turning to the Sea… This Time to Stay,” Book Review Essay, Asia Policy, No. 9 (January 2010), pp. 167-72.

“…it is a relief to read a mass of carefully considered common sense such as is contained in this fine book. It is refreshing to be reminded that so many of America’s military, especially naval, intellectuals can be so clear headed and rational. …Defence planners and warriors who are currently or likely to be involved in the Indo-Pacific regions should study this book very carefully.”

–Ships & Shipping, July 2009, p. 38.

“…the book is superb, rich in information and subtle analysis, and should be of interest to all students of geopolitics.”

–Arthur Waldron, Pacific Affairs, Vol. 82, No. 2 (Summer 2009), pp. 328-30.

“The editors achieve their task of examining China’s energy security and naval modernization and their impact on Sino-American relations. …this book is highly recommended.”

–Andrew Forbes, International Journal of Maritime History, December 2008, pp. 478-79.

“…this is an invaluable book for anyone wanting to understand China’s economy in general and its maritime strategy in particular.”

–David N. Griffiths, Canadian Naval Review, Vol. 4, No. 3 (Fall 2008), pp. 42-43.

Coauthor, “Introduction,” pp. ix-xvi; with Lyle Goldstein, of “China’s Future Nuclear Submarine Force: Insights from Chinese Writings,” pp. 182-211; and, with Andrew Wilson, of “China’s Aircraft Carrier Dilemma,” pp. 229-269.

These and several other chapters are required reading for the Naval War College Strategy and Policy Department’s Senior and Intermediate Leadership Courses.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The trajectory of Chinese nuclear propulsion for submarines may be one of the best single indicators of whether or not China intends to become a genuine global military power. Nuclear submarines, with their unparalleled survivability, remain ideal platforms for persistent operations in far-flung sea areas and offer an efficient means for China to strengthen deterrence and project power.

This collection of essays presents the latest thinking of leading experts on the emergence of a modern nuclear submarine fleet in China. Each contribution is packed with authoritative data and cogent analysis. The book has been compiled by four professors at the U.S. Naval War College who are co-founders of the college’s China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI).

Given the opaque nature of China’s undersea warfare development, readers will benefit from this penetrating investigation that considers the potential impact of revolutionary changes in Chinese nuclear submarine capabilities. This book is essential reading for everyone interested in China’s foreign and defense policies; in the future of the U.S. Navy; and in the defense of the United States.

BLURBS

“Unknowns about China’s Navy, especially its nuclear submarines, perplex our security planners. China’s Future Nuclear Submarine Force presents the most accurate information–and the most savvy analysis–available. This thoughtful compendium is vital to any serious discussion of the PLA Navy.”

–Adm. Joseph W. Prueher, USN (Ret.), Former Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Pacific Command and Ambassador to China

“China’s undersea fleet has been sharply focused on coastal defense and sea denial, largely in connection with Taiwan contingencies. With this role now assigned to a fleet of increasingly formidable diesel submarines, China’s growing nuclear submarine fleet may be about to move beyond symbolism and experimentation to take on strategic missions farther from Chinese shores. This exceptionally fine compendium of essays by scholars and practitioners of submarine warfare brings together in one place most of what we know and don’t know about China’s nuclear submarine programs and doctrines. By comparing and contrasting the experiences of the U.S. and Soviet navies, the authors offer informed speculation about the possible roles of both nuclear attack and ballistic missile submarines in the rapidly modernizing People’s Liberation Army Navy, and discuss the implications of differing scenarios for U.S. strategy and force structure. The result is a benchmark study that will both fascinate and inform anyone concerned with the future uses of sea power and the evolution of maritime strategy.”

–Amb. Chas. W. Freeman Jr., Chairman, Projects International, Inc.
Former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and Assistant Secretary of Defense
Chinese interpreter for President Richard M. Nixon

REVIEWS

“shows how the Chinese nuclear navy has developed to date and possible future trajectories it could take. … The texts are well sourced and provide readers with references to conduct more extensive research and reading if desired. In summary, any student of Chinese military developments should read this book.”

–Capt. Giles Van Nederveen, USAF (Ret.), Strategic Studies Quarterly, Vol. 4, No. 1 (Spring 2010).

“captures important aspects of China’s submarine force that explain the rationale for Beijing’s large submarine investment, beginning by recounting its maritime goals and doctrine, then examining the applicability of a submarine force to these goals. …raises many important issues that influence the future of China’s nuclear submarine force….”

–Scott W. Bray (the U.S. Navy’s Senior Intelligence Officer for China), “Turning to the Sea… This Time to Stay,” Book Review Essay, Asia Policy, No. 9 (January 2010), pp. 167-72.

“…provides both novices and experienced scholars an extensive primer on the context of the Chinese nuclear submarine fleet. It is quite readable, well organized, and extremely well documented in all chapters.”

–Lt. Col. John D. Becker, USA, Joint Force Quarterly, Vol. 52, No. 1 (2009), pp. 165-66.

“…creative use of Chinese sources has allowed [the authors] to penetrate the veil of secrecy drawn over China’s submarine programme with surprising effectiveness.”

–Colin Green, Pacific Affairs, Vol. 81, No. 1 (Spring 2008), pp. 111-13.

“…features contributions by some of America’s most prominent (and promising) analysts of PRC naval affairs.”

–Alan Wachman, Naval War College Review, Vol. 61, No. 2 (Spring 2008), p. 134.

“…offers the most comprehensive open-source analysis yet made public of the transformation of the PLAN and the central role that submarines are likely to play in the years ahead. …has already become the benchmark unclassified study on the development of the PLAN’s sub-surface combat capability.”

–Richard Scott, “China’s Submarine Force Awaits a Cultural Revolution,” Jane’s Navy International, 1 January 2008.

“…if a book such as China’s Future Nuclear Submarine Force had appeared in 1930 on the subject of Japanese developments in naval air power and force projection, the U.S. ‘battleship admirals’ may have been overruled by the carrier advocates in the critical period leading up to the Pearl Harbor attack of December 7, 1941. This new book… is that good.”

–Gregory R. Copley, “The Pacific Turns a Pinker Hue,” Maritime Studies, Issue 156 (September/October 2007), pp. 24-25.

“Reading this excellent volume should waken many of us in the U.S. Navy to remain vigilant and always explore the totality of assets a potential adversary may have, even though they maybe technologically inferior to our own.”

–LCDR Youssef Aboul-Enein, USN, Naval District Washington, DC, 10 May 2007.