HONG KONG: When China sailed one of its two active aircraft carriers, Shandong, east of Taiwan the previous month as part of military drills surrounding the island, it showcased a capability it had yet to master and could take years to perfect.
According to four army attaches and six defence analysts familiar with regional naval deployments, as China modernises its military, its formidable missile forces and other naval vessels, such as cutting-edge cruisers, concern the United States and its partners. But it could be over a decade before Beijing can mount a credible carrier threat far from its shores.
According to Reuters, the attaches and analysts told Reuters China’s carriers are more of the propaganda showpiece, with doubts about their value in the possible conflict with the United States over Taiwan and whether China could protect them on longer-range missions into the Indian oceans and Pacific.
China’s Defence Ministry
China’s Defence Ministry didn’t respond to questions about its carrier program. However, dozens of articles in state-linked journals reviewed by Reuters reveal awareness among Chinese army analysts about shortcomings in the country’s carrier capability.
While few regional press coverage, partially based on Chinese state media reports, portrayed current drills around Taiwan as active patrols and the military challenge to the United States and its partners, eight experts said that the Chinese carriers are effectively still in training mode.
Several attaches and analysts said that landing aircraft at night and in unpleasant weather – crucial to regular offshore carrier operations – still needs to be routine.
And in the conflict, some experts said China’s carriers would be vulnerable to missile and submarine attacks, noting the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) still needs to perfect protective screening operations, particularly anti-submarine warfare.
Trevor Hollingsbee, an ex-British naval intelligence analyst said, “Unlike other parts of their military modernisation, there is something politically theatrical about their carrier deployments so far,”
