22 September 2026

The China Navy Leadership: Corruption & Capabilities Bookshelf

Andrew S. Erickson, “The China Navy Leadership: Corruption & Capabilities Bookshelf,” China Analysis from Original Sources 以第一手资料研究中国, 22 September 2026.

Since Xi assumed power in 2012, scores of flag and general officers and defense industry leaders have been removed. This is part of a larger pattern across China’s entire Party-State-Military bureaucracy. By my earlier tally, Xi-era removals within […]

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31 August 2026

CMSI Translation #35: “How to Leverage the ‘Butterfly Effect’ to Cause the Collapse of ‘Taiwan Independence’ Elements?”

Su Ming, “How to Leverage the ‘Butterfly Effect’ to Cause the Collapse of ‘Taiwan Independence’ Elements?” CMSI Translation 35 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 31 August 2026).

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From CMSI Director Captain Christopher Sharman, USN (Ret.):
China-Taiwan Watchers: When is Taiwan’s electrical grid most vulnerable? When would an […]

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26 August 2026

CMSI Note 24—“Crossing a Hellscape: PLA Views on New U.S. Military Concepts to Defend Taiwan”

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 […]

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12 August 2026

China’s Army in 2025: A Mountain of Open-Source Data

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 […]

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09 August 2026

China’s Navy in 2025: An Ocean of Open-Source Documentation

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 […]

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04 August 2026

CMSI Translation #34: “Research on Integrated Defense Against Precision Strikes by the Powerful Enemy at Sea”

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 […]

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29 July 2026

CMSI Note 23—“Vice Admiral Zhang Zheng Likely at the Helm: The PLA Navy’s Apparent New Most Senior Officer”

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 […]

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29 July 2026

CMSI Note 22: “Testing Boundaries: The Lan Hai 201 Mission East of Taiwan”

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 […]

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27 July 2026

CMSI Translation #33: “A Super-AIP Submarine Under the Bayi Flag”

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 […]

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15 July 2026

China Maritime Report #56—“The Silent Service: Assessing PLAN Influence in the Central Military Commission”

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 […]

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15 July 2026

New — CMSI Quarterly Review 1.6!

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 […]

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06 July 2026

China’s Nuclear Submarine Development Quest: Strategy, Saga, Significance

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 […]

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06 July 2026

CMSI Note 21: “The New Normal East of Taiwan”

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 […]

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06 July 2026

CMSI Translation #32: “The U.S. Marine Corps Concept for ‘Stand-In Forces’—Analysis and Response”

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 […]

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01 July 2026

Glad to Provide New Foreword for Updated “Modern Chinese Maritime Forces”—Most Comprehensive Unclassified Order of Battle for China’s Sea Services!

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 […]

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30 June 2026

Honored to Review “China’s Mahan: Admiral Liu Huaqing and the Rise of the Modern Chinese Navy”—in China Quarterly!

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 […]

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24 June 2026

China Maritime Report #55—“Loading the Well Deck: The PLA Navy’s Maturing Role in Projecting Joint Ground Forces”

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 […]

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22 June 2026

CMSI Translation #31: “Joint Air and Missile Defense Operations in the Maritime Domain Must Emphasize and Strengthen the ‘Four Joint Functions’”

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 […]

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15 June 2026

China Is Rehearsing More Than Amphibious Landings

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 […]

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