China's rapid development is reshaping the world in all dimensions. Chinese language open sources offer insights into these critical trends. While such materials are increasing constantly in number, diversity, and sophistication, only a fraction is available in English. The analyses available here, many based on sources not previously considered outside China, are designed to help bridge that gap--and thereby increase understanding of the most dynamic great power in the international system today.
Ian Easton, “Crossing a Hellscape: PLA Views on New U.S. Military Concepts to Defend Taiwan,” CMSI Note 24 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 26 August 2026).
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From CMSI Director CAPT Christopher Sharman, USN (Ret.):
China-Taiwan Watchers: How have PRC sources reacted to the Hellscape concept and […]
Article Compilations by Ken Allen —
China’s Army in 2025: Sources & Key Issues
Overview File: China’s Army in 2025
English-Language PRC Articles on China’s Army in 2025
Chinese-Language PRC Articles on China’s Army in 2025
This summary was prepared with AI assistance and vetted by Ken Allen, who contributed key inputs. Unless otherwise specified, “Chinese” means “Chinese-language.”
Longtime People’s […]
Article Compilations by Ken Allen —
Overview File: China’s Navy in 2025
English-Language PRC Articles on China’s Navy in 2025
Chinese-Language PRC Articles on China’s Navy in 2025
This summary was prepared with AI assistance and vetted by Ken Allen, who contributed key inputs. Unless otherwise specified, “Chinese” means “Chinese-language.”
Longtime People’s Liberation Army (PLA) researcher Ken Allen has produced […]
Zhang Debao, Sun Yunxing, and Hu Xiaolong, “Research on Integrated Defense Against Precision Strikes by the Powerful Enemy at Sea,” CMSI Translation 34 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 4 August 2026).
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From CMSI Director CAPT Christopher H. Sharman, USN (Ret.):
China PLA Watchers: What lessons are PLA […]
Jordan Shaw, Andrew S. Erickson, and Christopher Sharman, “Vice Admiral Zhang Zheng Likely at the Helm: The PLA Navy’s Apparent New Most Senior Officer,” CMSI Note 23 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 29 July 2026).
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From CMSI Director CAPT Christopher Sharman, USN (Ret.):
China Navy and […]
Ryan D. Martinson, “Testing Boundaries: The Lan Hai 201 Mission East of Taiwan,” CMSI Note 22 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 28 July 2026).
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From CMSI Director CAPT Christopher Sharman, USN (Ret.):
China Maritime Watchers: Can a fisheries research ship become an instrument of statecraft?
According to […]
Ming Di, “A Super-AIP Submarine Under the Bayi Flag,” CMSI Translation 33 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 22 July 2026).
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From CMSI Director CAPT Christopher H. Sharman, USN (Ret.):
China Navy Watchers: Why might China’s Navy want a new class of “small-reactor” nuclear submarines?
That question is the […]
Natalie Shen and Joel Wuthnow, The Silent Service: Assessing PLAN Influence in the Central Military Commission, China Maritime Report 56 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 15 July 2026).
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From CMSI Director Christopher Sharman:
China Navy Watchers: China’s military has built the world’s largest navy—but the navy still […]
CMSI Quarterly Review 1.6 (Summer 2026) (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 14 July 2026).
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From CMSI Director Christopher Sharman:
China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI) Friends and Colleagues –
We are pleased to share the summer issue of the CMSI Quarterly Review, highlighting the China Maritime Studies Institute’s latest scholarship, media […]
China’s successful 6 July 2026 launch into the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone appears to be its first publicly acknowledged long-range submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) flight from a submarine since the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)’s successful 12 October 1982 JL-1 developmental launch from the Type 031 (Golf-class) trials submarine Great Wall (Changcheng) 200.
My 83-page […]
Ryan D. Martinson, “The New Normal East of Taiwan,” CMSI Note 21 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 6 July 2026).
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From CMSI Director CAPT Christopher Sharman, USN (Ret.):
China Military Maritime Watchers: Has the PRC quietly established a “New Normal” east of Taiwan?
On 4 July, two […]
Yue Zhiqiang, Wang Li, and Li Jinqiao, “The U.S. Marine Corps Concept for ‘Stand-In Forces’—Analysis and Response,” CMSI Translation 32 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 6 July 2026).
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From CMSI Director CAPT Christopher H. Sharman, USN (Ret.):
China Military Maritime Watchers: What do PLA authors publishing in […]
Follow the latest developments in China’s growing nuclear-powered submarine force (pp. 20–22) and beyond with this new edition of “Modern Chinese Maritime Forces,” the most comprehensive open source PRC sea services inventory!
As we gallop through the Year of the Fire Horse (火马年), China under Xi is steaming full speed ahead, particularly at sea. Navigate troubled […]
Andrew S. Erickson, review of Xiaobing Li, China’s Mahan: Admiral Liu Huaqing and the Rise of the Modern Chinese Navy (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2026); in The China Quarterly (2026). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0305741026102471
A renowned and prolific historian of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA), Xiaobing Li once again delivers a uniquely illuminating account, this time with […]
Joshua Arostegui, Loading the Well Deck: The PLA Navy’s Maturing Role in Projecting Joint Ground Forces, China Maritime Report 55 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 24 June 2026).
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From CMSI Director Christopher Sharman:
China PLA Watchers: Can the PLA project joint combat power across Southeast Asia and […]
Nan Xiang, Xie Lu, and Zhi Xi, “Joint Air and Missile Defense Operations in the Maritime Domain Must Emphasize and Strengthen the ‘Four Joint Functions’,” CMSI Translation 31 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 22 June 2026).
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From CMSI Director CAPT Christopher H. Sharman, USN (Ret.):
China Navy […]
Jason Wang, Marvin Bernardo, Pei-Jhen Wu, and Andrew S. Erickson, “China Is Rehearsing More Than Amphibious Landings,” Center for International Maritime Security (CIMSEC), 15 June 2026.
China Is Rehearsing More Than Amphibious Landings
For years, the public debate over a possible Chinese Communist invasion of Taiwan has focused on a single question: Does the People’s Liberation Army […]
From Xi to the Sea! China’s Paramount Leader is a Navy Lobby of One!
Ryan D. Martinson, Chairman Xi’s Navy, China Maritime Report 54 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 2 June 2026).
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From CMSI Director Christopher Sharman:
China Navy Watchers: How much of China’s Navy (the PLAN’s) rise […]
Great new job opportunity at the Naval War College’s China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI)! Apply now to join a leading collegial team that publishes cutting-edge research to inform the Navy and engage the Nation!
Complete application information at USAJOBS!
History of CMSI and 20th anniversary of its establishment within the Center for Naval Warfare Studies (CNWS).
History of […]
Chinese Undersea Warfare: Development, Capabilities, Trends
Maritime Gray Zone Operations: Challenges and Countermeasures in the Indo-Pacific
Oxford Bibliography: “The People’s Liberation Army (PLA)”
China’s Climate Cooperation Smokescreen: A Roadmap for Seeing Through the Trap and Countering with Competition
Large-Scale Amphibious Warfare in Chinese Military Strategy
Rebalancing U.S. Forces: Basing and Forward Presence in the Asia-Pacific
China’s Near Seas Combat Capabilities
Chinese Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile (ASBM) Development: Drivers, Trajectories and Strategic Implications
Asia’s Rising Energy and Resource Nationalism: Implications for the United States, China, and the Asia-Pacific Region
Chinese Aerospace Power: Evolving Maritime Roles
China’s S-Curve Trajectory: Structural Factors Will Likely Slow the Growth of China’s Economy and Comprehensive National Power
China, the United States, and 21st-Century Sea Power: Defining a Maritime Security Partnership
China Goes to Sea: Maritime Transformation in Comparative Historical Perspective
China’s Energy Strategy: The Impact on Bejing’s Maritime Policies
China’s Future Nuclear Submarine Force
Chinese Mine Warfare: A PLA Navy 'Assassin’s Mace' Capability
China’s Nuclear Force Modernization
