China has beaten the US to become the nation with the largest naval fleet in the world, making Britain a shadow of its previous self. This represents an enormous shift in the balance of maritime power. China’s shipyards, which reputedly boast a capacity of over 21 million gross tons, represent its growing naval prowess. This is far larger than the mere 100,000 predicted for the US.
South Korea and Japan are expected to help reduce this marine capability gap. The Economist reports that between...