China’s Navy Tops 400 Ships As Its Shipyards Outbuild America

China has added 71 major warships and submarines since 2020, and its shipyards are building a fleet the U.S. is struggling to match.

Clashreports says China is carrying out one of the largest peacetime naval expansions in modern history. Its navy now has more than 400 warships and submarines, according to official U.S. figures reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. That is roughly 35% more vessels than the U.S. Navy, though the U.S. fleet is still larger by tonnage.

China added 71 major warships and submarines since 2020. Its shipyards build more than half of the world's merchant ships, so naval programs draw on a huge commercial base. The Changxing Island yards near Shanghai build commercial ships and warships side by side. A new submarine at Jiangnan is thought to be nuclear-powered, but that is unconfirmed.

China has three carriers and a fourth under construction. A Pentagon report projects nine by 2035, while the U.S. is expected to stay at 11. Its newest carrier, Fujian, uses electromagnetic launch gear, which only the U.S. had before.

The U.S. has about 290 ships and limited commercial shipbuilding capacity. A Navy Department report found that shipbuilding spending doubled over two decades without growing the fleet past its 2003 size.