Hi! Welcome...

Andrew S. Erickson 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.

22 December 2010

China SignPost™ (洞察中国) #12–LNG Carriers to Aircraft Carriers? Assessing the potential for crossover between civilian and military shipbuilding in China

Gabriel B. Collins and Andrew S. Erickson, “LNG Carriers to Aircraft Carriers? Assessing the Potential for Crossover between Civilian and Military Shipbuilding in China,” China SignPost™ (洞察中国) 12 (18 December 2010).
China SignPost™ 洞察中国–“Clear, high-impact China analysis.”©
Key policy implications:

China’s growing proficiency in building massive ore carriers and oil tankers suggests that Chinese yards can physically fabricate […]

21 December 2010

Studying History to Guide China’s Rise as a Maritime Great Power

Andrew S. Erickson and Lyle J. Goldstein, “Studying History to Guide China’s Rise as a Maritime Great Power,” Harvard Asia Quarterly 12.3-4 (Winter 2010): 31–38.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A HARD COPY SCAN.

After six hundred years of Western dominance on and Chinese retreat from the world’s oceans, the tides of maritime history are returning to the east. […]

21 December 2010

China’s Out of Area Naval Operations: Case Studies, Trajectories, Obstacles, and Potential Solutions

Christopher D. Yung and Ross Rustici with Isaac Kardon and Joshua Wiseman, China’s Out of Area Naval Operations: Case Studies, Trajectories, Obstacles, and Potential Solutions, National Defense University Institute for National Strategic Studies China Strategic Perspective 3, December 2010.
Executive Summary
This study seeks to understand the future direction of the People’s Liberation Army Navy […]

16 December 2010

China SignPost™ (洞察中国) #11: In Hot Water: High-efficiency heat pump water heaters will reduce residential energy use in China

Gabriel B. Collins and Andrew S. Erickson, “In Hot Water: High-Efficiency Heat Pump Water Heaters Will Reduce Residential Energy Use in China,” China SignPost™ (洞察中国) 11 (16 December 2010).
China SignPost™ 洞察中国–“Clear, high-impact China analysis.”©
The comfort of a hot shower is hard to beat and Chinese homeowners are moving quickly to install water heaters as they […]

15 December 2010

“Over the Horizon: The Pitfalls of the Emerging Anti-China Axis”

Robert Farley, “Over the Horizon: The Pitfalls of the Emerging Anti-China Axis,” World Politics Review, 15 December 2010.
Concern about China’s emerging economic and military capabilities now drives the U.S. strategic debate. The development of anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBMs) by the PRC has even led some to argue that the balance of power in the Western Pacific […]

15 December 2010

China’s Growing Naval Power

Michael Chase, “China’s Growing Naval Power,” The Progressive Fix, 14 December 2010. (Part 3 of 3).
It’s clear that China’s Navy is growing in size and quality. Not only does China have the largest navy in East Asia, it has an increasingly modern and capable force of imported and indigenously produced destroyers, frigates, missile patrol craft, […]

13 December 2010

China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities—Background and Issues for Congress

Ronald O’Rourke, “China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities—Background and Issues for Congress,” Congressional Research Service, 1 December 2010.
Summary
The question of how the United States should respond to China’s military modernization effort, including its naval modernization effort, has emerged as a key issue in U.S. defense planning. Admiral Michael Mullen, the Chairman of the Joints […]

11 December 2010

China SignPost™ (洞察中国) #10–China’s Natural Gas Approach: pipelines are best way to resolve shortages

Gabriel B. Collins and Andrew S. Erickson, “China’s Natural Gas Approach: Pipelines Are Best Way to Resolve Shortages,” China SignPost™ (洞察中国) 10 (10 December 2010).
China SignPost™ 洞察中国–“Clear, high-impact China analysis.”©
China’s gas grid expansion is economically, environmentally, and strategically significant. Beijing’s desire to adopt cleaner sources of energy and facilitate their effective movement around China helps reduce […]

10 December 2010

Admiral Walsh, Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet: ASBM & Related Developments Respected But Not Necessarily Feared

The following, as reported on p. 83 of the December 2010 issue of Popular Mechanics, suggests a measured but proactive U.S. response to Chinese anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) development:
“Adm. Patrick Walsh, the current commander of the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet, sees preparation as a way to avoid a future fight. ‘When we look at these […]

10 December 2010

Places and Bases: The Chinese Navy’s Emerging Support Network in the Indian Ocean

Daniel J. Kostecka, “Places and Bases: The Chinese Navy’s Emerging Support Network in the Indian Ocean,” Naval War College Review, Vol. 64, No. 1 (Winter 2011), pp. 59-78.
Due to self-imposed policy, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) does not base military forces in foreign countries, and PRC officials have used this as evidence of China’s […]

09 December 2010

China SignPost™ (洞察中国) #9: U.S. Pecan Growers Crack into Chinese Market

Gabriel B. Collins and Andrew S. Erickson, “U.S. Pecan Growers Crack into Chinese Market,” China SignPost™ (洞察中国) 9 (9 December 2010).
Chinese pecan buyers are accumulating supplies as they prepare for the next Chinese New Year in early 2011, a peak nut consumption period in China. Rising incomes and increased demand for healthy foods are driving […]

09 December 2010

“Chinese Mine Warfare” Study Cited in Galrahn’s Information Dissemination Blog re Possible North Korean Nuclear Sea Mine Development

Galrahn, “Report: North Korea Developing Nuclear Sea Mines,” Information Dissemination, 9 December 2010.

The English language version comes courtesy of Bill Gertz in Inside the Ring. It is worth reading in full, but this is how it begins.
U.S. intelligence agencies are working to track down an alarming report from inside North Korea revealing that the […]

09 December 2010

Ridgway Center Hosts Rear Admiral James P. Wisecup

“Ridgway Center Hosts Rear Admiral James P. Wisecup,” University of Pittsburgh, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, 9 December 2010.
The Matthew B. Ridgway Center for International Security Studies hosted Rear Admiral James P. Wisecup for an update on the work of the U.S. Naval War College. Admiral Wisecup is the 52nd president of the […]

05 December 2010

Indian Navy Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma: China’s ASBM Program “Matter of Concern”

“China’s ASBM Programme Matter of Concern: Navy Chief,” Outlook India, 2 December 2010.
Admiral Nirmal Verma, Chief of the Indian Navy, reportedly stated the following in response to specific questions regarding Chinese development of an anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM): “As far as a weapon like ASBM is concerned, if it is operationally fielded, certainly it is […]

05 December 2010

CDR Salamander, “A Very Barney Christmas: 2010” Book List

CDR Salamander, “A Very Barney Christmas: 2010,” 4 December 2010.
“Yes my friends, it is that time of year – Christmas. As I have been saying for over half a decade, there is no finer gift you can give than that of books. Especially for the military professional, knowledge is essential. Knowledge and perspective can make […]

05 December 2010

James Holmes and Toshi Yoshihara, “China’s Navy: A Turn to Corbett?”

James R. Holmes and Toshi Yoshihara, “China’s Navy: A Turn to Corbett?” U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, Vol. 136, No. 12 (December 2010).
Chinese navalists have been mixing some Sir Julian Corbett into their Mahanian cocktails lately. That is wise on their part, and something that bears American scrutiny.

Some years ago, as China cast about for […]

01 December 2010

China, the United States, and 21st Century Sea Power: Defining a Maritime Security Partnership (CMSI Vol. 4)

Andrew S. Erickson, Lyle J. Goldstein, and Nan Li, eds., China, the United States, and 21st Century Sea Power: Defining a Maritime Security Partnership (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2010).
A Proceedings Magazine 2010 Notable Naval Book

Now available on Kindle!

Author of:

Andrew S. Erickson and Lyle J. Goldstein, “Introduction: In the Same Boat,” ix–xxix.
Andrew S. Erickson, “The Container Security Initiative and U.S.-China Relations,” 59–100.
Andrew S. Erickson, “Prospects […]

30 November 2010

Bernard D. Cole, The Great Wall at Sea, Second Edition: China’s Navy in the Twenty-First Century

Bernard D. Cole, The Great Wall at Sea, Second Edition: China’s Navy in the Twenty-First Century (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2010).
Book Jacket Summary:
In this new edition, Bernard Cole revises his acclaimed study of China’s Navy as it continues to grow in the unfolding twenty-first century while the U.S. Navy is shrinking. The Great Wall […]

29 November 2010

China SignPost™ (洞察中国) #8: Playing with Fire? Potential impact of a North Korean threat to South Korean oil refineries

Gabriel B. Collins and Andrew S. Erickson, “Playing with Fire? Potential Impact of a North Korean Threat to South Korean Oil Refineries,” China SignPost™ (洞察中国) 8 (29 November 2010).
North Korea’s recent shelling of South Korea’s Yeonpyeong Island raises the risk of armed confrontation in the region. If its core demands were not met, North Korea […]