Archive | Diplomat

15 May 2019

Andrew Erickson and Ryan Martinson on China and the Maritime Gray Zone

Prashanth Parameswaran, “Andrew Erickson and Ryan Martinson on China and the Maritime Gray Zone,” The Diplomat, 14 May 2019.
How China thinks about and acts in the maritime gray zone, and what that means for the region’s future.
Over the past few years, as China has continued its expansion in the maritime domain, scholars and practitioners alike […]

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01 February 2017

The Next Generation of China’s Navy: Transformation and Transition for the PLAN

Andrew S. Erickson, “The Next Generation of China’s Navy: Transformation and Transition for the PLAN,” The Diplomat, 30 January 2017.
As China’s navy undergoes a change in leadership, what lies ahead for the rapidly modernizing service?
On January 17, 2017, 71-year old Admiral Wu Shengli retired from a 41-year career culminating in nearly 11 years as commander […]

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19 July 2015

Trolling for History from China’s New Purpose-Built Ship: Archaeology and the South China Sea

Andrew S. Erickson and Kevin Bond, “Archaeology and the South China Sea,” The Diplomat, 20 July 2015.
A new maritime archaeology vessel is another component in China’s strategy for the South China Sea.
Recently, Vietnamese and Western media resumed reporting on China’s HD-981 oil rig, after it was redeployed to disputed waters, dredging up memories of the […]

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05 June 2015

The Big Story Behind China’s New Military Strategy

Alexander Sullivan and Andrew S. Erickson, “The Big Story Behind China’s New Military Strategy,” The Diplomat, 5 June 2015.
China is becoming “more willing and able” to stake and defend its interests overseas.
As China reemerges as one of the globe’s leading powers, just what type of actor it will be on the world stage has become […]

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16 April 2015

Revelations on China’s Maritime Modernization: The U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence Offers a Wealth of New Information on the PLA Navy

Andrew S. Erickson, “Revelations on China’s Maritime Modernization: The U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence Offers a Wealth of New Information on the PLA Navy,” The Diplomat, 16 April 2015.
To its first unclassified report on China’s navy in six years, the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) has just added sophisticated posters detailing Chinese ships and […]

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06 May 2014

Bases for America’s Asia-Pacific Rebalance (Part 2 of 2)

Carnes Lord and Andrew S. Erickson, “Bases for America’s Asia-Pacific Rebalance (Part 2 of 2),” The Diplomat, 6 May 2014.
Part two of a two part series evaluating the evolving network of US bases in the Asia-Pacific.
The second part of a two-part series that evaluates the United States’ evolving network of bases in the Asia-Pacific and which […]

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02 May 2014

Bases for America’s Asia-Pacific Rebalance (Part 1 of 2)

Carnes Lord and Andrew S. Erickson, “Bases for America’s Asia-Pacific Rebalance (Part 1 of 2),” The Diplomat, 2 May 2014.
Part one of a two-part series evaluating the evolving network of US bases in the Asia-Pacific.
The first part of a two-part series that evaluates the United States’ evolving network of bases in the Asia-Pacific and the […]

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10 January 2014

China and the Far Seas: China’s Far Seas Presence Enables it to Escort Syria’s Chemical Weapons Marked for Destruction

Andrew S. Erickson and Austin M. Strange, “China and the Far Seas: China’s Far Seas Presence Enables it to Escort Syria’s Chemical Weapons Marked for Destruction,” The Diplomat, 10 January 2014.
While the U.S. and its allies perceive Beijing’s conduct as increasingly destabilizing in the Yellow, East, and South China Seas (“Near Seas”), China continues to […]

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01 November 2013

China and the International Antipiracy Effort

Andrew S. Erickson and Austin M. Strange, “China and the International Antipiracy Effort,” The Diplomat, 1 November 2013.
China has achieved many firsts under the umbrella of antipiracy. These include its first major contributions to securing sea lines of communication (SLOC), a commendable start. World navies do better at protecting vulnerable maritime regions when they cooperate. […]

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01 October 2013

Sunk Costs: China and the Pirates

Andrew S. Erickson and Austin M. Strange, “Sunk Costs: China and the Pirates,” The Diplomat, 26 September 2013.
Maritime piracy is one of many non-traditional security challenges that confront China and other states in the 21st century. After flourishing for over two decades, why has piracy elicited a greater response from China than have other security […]

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07 May 2013

Pentagon Report Reveals Chinese Military Developments

Andrew S. Erickson, “Pentagon Report Reveals Chinese Military Developments,” The Diplomat, 8 May 2013.
After a year-long hiatus, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)’s annual report on Chinese military developments is back and better than ever. Its 43-page 2012 predecessor was widely criticized for arriving far later than Congress requested and containing little substance or new data. But […]

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11 March 2013

China’s Military Development, Beyond the Numbers

Andrew S. Erickson and Adam P. Liff, “China’s Military Development, Beyond the Numbers,” The Diplomat, 12 March 2013.
While reports warn of China’s rising military budget and lack of transparency, numbers and hyped headlines often cloud the bigger picture.
Given China’s rapid rise in all aspects of national power, as well as its reluctance to release specific […]

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07 January 2013

Limited Liftoff Looming: Y-20 Transport Prepares for 1st Test Flight

Andrew S. Erickson and Gabriel B. Collins, “Limited Liftoff Looming: Y-20 Transport Prepares for 1st Test Flight,” The Diplomat, 8 January 2013.
In 2011 and 2012, China flight-tested stealth fighter prototypes developed by Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (J-20) and Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (J-31). In 2013, Xi’an Aircraft Corporation (XAC) will look to get into the new aircraft game by […]

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06 December 2012

“The Long Pole in the Tent”: China’s Military Jet Engines

Andrew S. Erickson and Gabriel B. Collins, “The ‘Long Pole in the Tent’: China’s Military Jet Engines,” The Diplomat, 7 December 2012.
Much has been made of Beijing’s growing military might. Developing and producing high-performance jet engines could be the toughest — but most rewarding — advance.
The PLA Navy surprised many foreign observers yet again when […]

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21 November 2012

“Death by Blue Water Navy” Distracts from China’s Real Military Focus

Gabriel B. Collins and Andrew S. Erickson, “‘Death by Blue Water Navy’ Distracts from China’s Real Military Focus,” The Diplomat, 21 November 2012.
(Editor’s Note: Please see “China’s Real Blue Water Navy” and Greg Autry’s response.)
Greg Autry’s passionate response to our recent piece on “China’s Real Blue Water Navy” is somewhat ironic, as he has missed […]

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31 October 2012

U.S. Navy Take Notice: China is Becoming a World-Class Military Shipbuilder

Gabriel B. Collins and Andrew S. Erickson, “U.S. Navy Take Notice: China is Becoming a World-Class Military Shipbuilder,” The Diplomat, 1 November 2012.
The engine of China’s naval rise has flown under the radar – until now.
China’s military shipyards now are surpassing Western European, Japanese, and Korean military shipbuilders in terms of both the types and […]

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29 August 2012

China’s Real Blue Water Navy

Andrew S. Erickson and Gabriel B. Collins, “China’s Real Blue Water Navy,” The Diplomat, 30 August 2012.
China’s navy is not poised to speed across the Pacific to threaten America the way the Soviet Union once did, if not worse. This despite Peter Navarro and Greg Autry’s over-the-top polemic, Death by China: Confronting the Dragon—A Global […]

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24 April 2012

The Future is Now

Andrew S. Erickson, “The Future is Now,” The Diplomat, 24 April 2012.
The U.S. military has lots of options to stop the PLA from paralyzing its forces. But business as usual won’t do.
The U.S. isn’t “returning” to the Asia-Pacific, it never left in the first place. Here, in the world’s most strategically and economically dynamic region, China […]

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21 February 2012

Enter China’s Security Firms

Andrew S. Erickson and Gabriel B. Collins, “Enter China’s Security Firms,” The Diplomat, 21 February 2012.
Chinese private security companies are seeing an opportunity as the U.S. withdraws troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. But plenty of complications await them.
A security vacuum is developing around Chinese workers overseas. The recent kidnapping of 29 Chinese workers in Sudan […]

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