ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the strategic implications of the rise of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), including how that process might affect the stability of the region as a whole. However, the “sum of the whole” is not necessarily equal to the “sum of the parts”. A larger PLAN will impact on particular countries differently and much will depend on how individual countries respond to the situation. These responses will be extremely varied: Japan, for example, is more concerned than South Korea or Russia; and in Southeast Asia, Malaysia, and Thailand may have a more relaxed view than Vietnam or the Philippines. Further to the West, India will likely respond strongly to a larger PLAN, particularly if the Chinese operate into the Indian Ocean with forward bases in littoral countries. Overarching the response of individual countries in the region itself will be the attitude of the United States and whether or not the United States Navy (USN) institutionalizes the PLAN as its natural adversary.
