Andrew S. Erickson - China Goes to Sea: Maritime Transformation in Comparative Historical Perspective

China Goes to Sea

China Goes to Sea

Maritime Transformation in
Comparative Historical Perspective

edited by Andrew S. Erickson, Lyle J. Goldstein, and Carnes Lord

NAVAL INSTITUTE PRESS

Annapolis, Maryland

Naval Institute Press
291 Wood Road
Annapolis, MD 21402

This eBook has been brought to publication with the generous assistance of Capt. Edward A. Studzinski, USNR (Ret.)

2009 by The United States Naval Institute

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

First Naval Institute Press eBook edition published 2012.
ISBN 978-1-61251-152-8

The Library of Congress has catalogued the hardcover edition as follows: Erickson, Andrew S.

China goes to sea: maritime transformation in comparative historical perspective / Andrew Erickson, Lyle Goldstein, and Cary Lord.
p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. ChinaHistory, Naval. 2. Sea-powerChinaHistory. 3. Naval art and scienceChinaHistory. 4. History, Naval. 5. Sea-powerHistory. 6. Naval art and scienceHistory. I. Goldstein, Lyle. II. Lord, Cary. III. Title.

DS739.E75 2009

359.00951dc22

2008055202

19 18 17 16 15 14 13 129 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Andrew S. Erickson and Lyle J. Goldstein

Gregory Gilbert

Barry Strauss

Arthur M. Eckstein

Jakub Grygiel

James Pritchard

Imperial Russia:
Two Models of Maritime Transformation
Jacob W. Kipp

Holger H. Herwig

Milan Vego

Andrew R. Wilson

Bruce A. Elleman

More Red than Expert:
Chinese Sea Power during the Cold War
Bernard D. Cole

Strong Foundation:
Contemporary Chinese Shipbuilding Prowess
Gabriel Collins and Michael Grubb

Eric A. McVadon

Andrew S. Erickson and Lyle J. Goldstein

Carnes Lord

IN A PROMINENT LOCATION IN WESTERN BEIJING, next to the Military Museum, stands the China Millennium Monument. In the words of the Organizing Committee for the 2008 Olympic Games, the monument is designed to promote the national spirit by... expressing [aspirations for] the future as new opportunities, challenges, and hopes are emerging over the horizon of [the] China of the 21st century. The Chinese nation, with its splendid civilization of 5,000 years, the Committee declares, is on the threshold of an epoch of great renewal, as a future of yet greater splendor is arising in the East of the world. Many share this assessment, or at least acknowledge its possibility. But what will be the nature of Chinas resurgence, how will it be accomplished, and what will it mean for the world?

As befits an edifice of such national significance, the monument (also known as the Grand Altar to Chinese Patriotism) is redolent with symbolism, offering tantalizing hints of answers to these questions. Beneath a massive sundial, museums display a panorama of Chinese history dating from Neolithic times to the monuments construction in 2000 AD At the southern entrance, where the gentle... rise of the ground suggest[s] the rise of the Chinese nation, the Plaza of Holy Fire is 960 square meters in area, embodying explicitly Chinas 9,600,000 square kilometers of land territory. Along either side of the elongated plaza, a constant stream of water represents the Yangzi and Yellow Rivers, cradles of Chinese civilization. An engraved Map of the Chinese Native Land depicts Taiwan and the other offshore islands that Beijing claims, though not the sea surrounding them.

Rumors that the China Millennium Monument has been hotly contested make this abstract demarcation of time and territory all the more fascinating. To some Chinese, the monuments relative lack of water underscores the traditional conception of China as a continental power. Yet it is also said that Chinas State Oceanic Administration specifically criticized the monument for not having sufficient water. Even in the decade since the monuments construction, China has made previously unthinkable strides in the maritime direction. Years from now, when it is refurbished, will there be some symbolic acknowledgement that China has gone to sea?

Many individuals have contributed to the success of this project. The authors are indebted to Ken Allen, Dennis Blasko, Ja Ian Chong, John Corbett, Peter Dutton, Tobie Meyer-Fong, M. Taylor Fravel, George Gilboy, John Hattendorf, Nan Li, Alexander Liebman, William Murray, Stephan Platt, Michael Szonyi, and David Yang for their helpful suggestions and inputs. Christopher Robinson worked tirelessly to produce the detailed maps for this volume. Patricia Brower made our prose far more cogent and accessible. As always, the Naval Institute Press teamincluding Susan Corrado, Tom Cutler, George Keating, Chris Onrubia, Marla Traweek, and Judy Heisewere excellent partners in this effort.

All ideas expressed in this volume are solely those of the authors and editors and do not represent the official designations, interpretations, or estimates of the U.S. Navy or any other element of the U.S. government. Any errors are solely the responsibility of the editors. While every effort was made to verify the authenticity of data before this volume went to press, all cartographic illustrations, nomenclature, and boundary and maritime claim representations may be subject to disagreement and even, in some cases, to change. Depictions thereof in this volume are for unofficial scholarly purposes only. They must therefore be interpreted with extreme caution.

When possible, the maps in this volume portray clearly all territorial disputes and maritime claims relevant to China, the focus of this study. Any failure to note territorial disputes or to characterize them in a certain way (either inside or outside of China) does not imply a failure to acknowledge them or a judgment concerning the relative validity or state of claims among the parties involved (or the political status of those parties).

Given the wide range of historical periods covered by this volume, it is particularly important to emphasize that previous empires (e.g., the Chinese imperial system) operated quite differently from the centralized states with which we are familiar today. Such empires often exercised sovereignty and authority in a more diverse fashion and with a wider array of affiliated polities than is the case with present nation states. The borders of such empires, and the boundaries within them, must therefore be understood in a more complex sense as well.

Some concepts addressed in this volume have never been defined officially or depicted graphically in a definitive manner by the Peoples Liberation Army Navy, or any other element of Chinas government, to the outside world. A prime example is the Island Chains in the Western Pacific that, while described in such important sources as Adm. Liu Huaqings memoirs, are still subject to various interpretations among scholars of China. Other examples include Beijings various maritime claims, such as the one in the South China Sea, whose precise nature is still under debate in China. Such concepts are therefore introduced notionally and should not be overinterpreted.

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