Overview

A survey of Chinese naval operational history, Li’s book focuses on the major battles and important engagements of more than 1,200 Chinese naval operations from 1949-2009, including the joint landing campaigns in the Taiwan Strait Crises, naval battles in the South China Sea, air defense against American pilots during Operation Rolling Thunder, and anti-piracy operations in Africa. His findings elucidate the origin of and changes of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) by examining its adaptation, modernization, and setbacks in the past sixty years. Based upon newly available Chinese sources and personal interviews with retired generals, admirals, and PLA officers, the work offers Chinese perspective on the study of PLAN war fighting history. The untold operational stories of the Chinese captains, boatswains, sailors, gunners, and naval pilots provide a first-hand look at a naval officer and his crew during the Cold War and beyond. They also indicate important lessons learned by the naval leaders who faced the enemies during a period when the PLAN underwent a complex transformation. China’s New Navy explains how the Chinese Navy’s operational experience brought about its reform. The PLAN changed from a coastal defensive fleet in the 1950s, to a modern navy in the 2000s. It concludes that some early experiences are still relevant to Beijing’s leaders as they consider specific strategic and operational challenges. Li redefines and adapts such strategic Cold War concepts as nuclear deterrence and local warfare to be meaningful in today’s strategic context, one in which PLAN is ready to open fire first in a defensive offense against the other sea powers like the U.S. Navy.

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9781682477755

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Reviews

"“Xiaobing Li delivers a groundbreaking account of the Chinese Cultural Revolution and China’s People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), as well as the development of the PLAN Air Force, PLAN actions in the Vietnam War, and PLAN’s role in the 1970s South China Sea conflicts. This important and timely work covers the PLAN from its organizational development and operational perspectives during the Cold War up through its rapid transformation into the largest naval force in the early 21st century.""—Bernard D. Cole, Capt., USN (Ret.), author of China’s Quest for Great Power: Ships, Oil, and Diplomacy"

Xiaobing Li delivers a groundbreaking account of the Chinese Cultural Revolution and China's People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), as well as the development of the PLAN Air Force, PLAN actions in the Vietnam War, and PLAN's role in the 1970s South China Sea conflicts. This important and timely work covers the PLAN from its organizational development and operational perspectives during the Cold War up through its rapid transformation into the largest naval force in the early 21st century. -Bernard D. Cole, Capt., USN (Ret.), author of China's Quest for Great Power: Ships, Oil, and Diplomacy

Author Information

Xiaobing Li, professor of history and Don Betz Endowed Chair in International Studies at the University of Central Oklahoma, is the author of The Dragon in the Jungle, Attack at Chosin, Building Ho’s Army, History of Taiwan, and The Cold War in East Asia. He is the executive editor of the Chinese Historical Review. Li served in the PLA in China.

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