The Wall Street Journal reported that China had quietly signed a

deal with Cambodia for what would likely be its second naval base,
to come up in the Gulf of Thailand right in the heart of the Indo-
Pacific region. The gulf sits across the Andaman Sea on the other
side of the Malay Peninsula and astride the strategically significant
waters of the Malacca Strait and South China Sea, through which
an increasing share of India’s trade passes.

PLA Navy on speed

The white paper also notes the massive reorganisation of the PLA
under President Xi Jinping, and the diminishing importance of the
PLA Army (PLAA). It notes that “300,000 personnel have been cut
to keep the total active force at 2 million”. “The PLA has
significantly downsized the active force of the PLAA, maintained
that of the PLAAF (Air Force) at a steady number, moderately
increased that of the PLAN (Navy) and PLARF (Rocket Force), and
optimised the force structures of all services and arms.”

The paper noted that the PLAN “in line with the strategic
requirements of near seas defense and far seas protection… is
speeding up the transition of its tasks from defense on the near seas
to protection missions on the far seas, and improving its
capabilities for strategic deterrence and counterattack, maritime
maneuver operations, maritime joint operations, comprehensive
defense, and integrated support, so as to build a strong and
modernized naval force.”

The PLAN, it said, has now “extended training to the far seas”
and deployed China’s first “aircraft carrier task group, built around
the retrofitted Liaoning, “for its first far seas combat exercise in the
West Pacific”. The second aircraft carrier — the first homebuilt one,
called Type 001A — is undergoing trials and may be deployed
next year, barely five years after construction began in March 2015
and ahead of schedule. The third carrier, Type 002A, which is under
construction, will be the largest and, according to analysts, likely
deployed in the Indian Ocean.

Also read: China has long played its India-Pak ‘balancing act’, but
stakes are high this time around

The white paper reiterated Xi Jinping’s earlier declared mission of

building a “world-class military” by 2050. China hasn’t spelled out
what that means, although it is widely seen as a reference to the
benchmark set by the US. Chinese analysts have previously said
China would need six aircraft carriers in the next decade, with two
strike groups each for the Western Pacific and the Indian Ocean in
addition to two for the South and East China Seas.

India constrained by its budget

India’s Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh
Thursday acknowledged the increasing resources that the Chinese
Navy now commands, as well as the constraints that India’s Navy
faces. “Lot of resources have been shifted from other arms to the
PLA Navy, obviously in line with their intention to become a global
power. We have to watch it carefully and see how we can respond
within our budget and the constraints that we have,” he said. “We
require long-term fiscal support to build a Navy, that is the only way
we can plan. And, this has been my constant refrain.”

But whether that is being heard is another question. Every year,

the PLA Army’s share of China’s total defence budget, which this
year was hiked by 7.5 per cent to $177 billion, is declining, while
that of the PLA Navy is growing. Underlining the challenge India
faces, its budget this year was $43 billion – one-third of China’s –
although a large chunk was towards pay and allowances, with little
left for modernisation, including of the Navy.
The author is a Visiting Fellow at Brookings India and
was previously China correspondent for India Today and The
Hindu. Views are personal.

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