China: Time For An Ocean Going Iron Great Wall

China will accelerate development of warships, stealth submarines and long-range missiles as the country makes a stronger navy a priority in military modernization, a Chinese admiral told state media.

Admiral Wu Shengli said the Communist Party leadership had ordered the navy to upgrade preparedness to defend the nation's expanding interests, Chinese newspapers reported on Thursday.

"The Party central leadership has demanded that the navy make preparedness for military struggle at sea a priority in national security strategy and military strategy," Xinhua news agency cited Wu as saying in the interview first issued on its website (www.xinhuanet.com) on Wednesday.

"We must accelerate progress in developing key weapons equipment," Wu added, singling out big warships, long-distance stealth submarines, supersonic jet fighters, and high-accuracy long-range missiles.

Chinese media have highlighted the government's hopes to build an aircraft carrier, seen as the badge of a mature ocean-going power. But Wu's remarks highlighted the country's broader ambitions to expand its naval reach.

China's navy had become an "ocean-going iron Great Wall" to "counter a range of security threats," Wu said.

I can list the threats:

1. Pirates (ARRRR!)
2. USN
3. JSDF

The Japanese have been inching closer and closer to carriers again. This makes Asia nervous. The primacy of the USN pretty much everywhere in a global economy and with almost all of its resources and trade coming over water makes China really nervous. Pirates? Well, everyone is pretty annoyed with them these days. Lil frakkers.