Hugo Restall thinks about the implications of Chinese aircraft carriers and its prospective blue water navy:
These are worst case scenarios. There is another possibility, however: that China’s ambitious plan might be a positive development. In the past, the People’s Liberation Army has emphasized asymmetrical warfare, apparently believing it could find inexpensive and innovative ways to counteract American might. If it is now moving toward a more conventional road of military modernization, pitting like against like, that is less likely to cause the miscalculations that lead to war, because China is less likely to be seduced by ideas that it can neutralize U.S. superiority with asymmetry.
