Guys, stop the talk of outright war between China and Japan and the US, etc. It is against the rules and always leads to even worse things being said, as has already happened here.
Now, my point has nothing to do with any war per sey.
The Chinese are expanding their SLOCs. They have to because they are growing their population's economic position and this is driving a demand while at the same time they themselves are manufacturing vast quantities of all sorts of material for countries all over the world.
So, their SLOCs are expanding and they will of necessity drive into the Indian Ocean to Africa, across the Pacific to South and perhaps central America in large ways, and into the Med and nations in southern Europe.
Without any talk of outright war with any particular nation, China of necessity will want to secure and defend those SLOCs, just like any other blue water Navy does...heck, it is a reason to be able to build and maintain a blue water Navy.
I expet this is going to continue to drive the PLAN towards the types of numbers I described above.
IMHO, the days of China either sitting behind the 1st or even 2nd island chain and only dealing with the trade as it approaches the Chinese mainland...or sails away from it are over. There is simply too much of their economy and the necessities for driving their economic and financial engine that are on the sea further and further away from China to not try and secure the SLOCs they are a part of.
How other nations respond to this is something we have all been watching and will continue to watch. In general it has produced a desire and actual ship building to modernize and increase maritime strength across the board from India, to Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Australia, Korea, Japan, etc., etc.
I expect that to continue and as long as everyone seeks to communicate and develope strategies for interfacing with one another...then there will hopefully not be any situations that get out of control. That is why having the PLAN involved with things like RIMPAC and other naval exercises and training between nations are so important.
Anyhow, the development of and fielding of the Type 55s and Type 52Ds are all a part of this general buildup and modernization for the PLAN. As soon as they decided to rebuild the old Soviet Varyag carrier into the Liaoning and the development of the Type 71 LPDs, and then the building of more of each, it was obvious that this was absolutely going to happen and for the reasons (perhaps among others) that I have discussed here.
This is the stratagem of a powerful nation that intends to have far reaching, global maritime SLOCs and to be able to defend them.
