MSN (THE TELEGRAPH) 15th MARCH 2025

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the writing is on the wall, now can Europe and the US rise to the challenge to defuse China's plan to dominate the high seas?

MSN NEWS (THE TELEGRAPH) 12 MARCH 2025 - CHINA BUILDS 'EQUIVALENT OF ROYAL NAVY’ IN JUST FOUR YEARS

China has built the equivalent of the entire Royal Navy in just four years as Beijing races to become a global maritime power, according to a Washington-based research group.

Between 2019 and 2023, four shipyards in the country – Dalian, Guangzhou, Jiangnan and Hudong-Zhonghua – churned out at least 39 warships with a combined displacement of around 550,000 tonnes.

This is more than the Royal Navy’s battle force fleet, which includes 19 surface ships and 10 submarines and displaces around 440,000 tonnes, according to the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

The yards are among China’s biggest, and built another 19m gross tonnes of commercial vessels over the same period, underlining the “blurred lines” between civilian and military production, the CSIS said.

In a report, the think tank warned that foreign companies account for 75pc of the ships built at such “dual-use” facilities, meaning they are unwittingly paying billions of dollars in revenue towards the Chinese navy’s expansion.

The huge expansion of Chinese shipbuilding, which now accounts for 53pc of the global total, also raises troubling questions for the US government, as Beijing continues to menace Taiwan, the independent island territory that it claims.

Already, the People’s Liberation Army Navy boasts more warships than the US Navy and by 2030 it is on track to have a fleet of 425, significantly higher than the 300 expected by America.

As of 2022, it operated a battle force fleet of 351 vessels compared to the US Navy’s 294, the CSIS said. However, the US held an edge in destroyers and guided missile cruisers.

China’s transformation from a “peripheral” player in shipbuilding 20 years ago to the world’s biggest producer now means it can replace ships far more quickly in a war, posing a “concerning challenge to deterrence”, the CSIS added.

“A robust shipbuilding sector signals the capacity to sustain operations during a protracted conflict, particularly one with the high losses that would almost certainly result from a full-scale US-China kinetic war,” the report said.

“Leaders in Beijing may calculate that China’s vastly greater ability to mobilise its shipbuilding ecosystem to surge production or restore and replace sunk and damaged vessels would allow it to continue a conflict to victory despite heavy losses.

“Even short of all-out war, this disparity could alter Beijing’s risk perceptions and shift escalation dynamics in unpredictable ways.

“Addressing this disparity is thus as much about preventing a war as it is about winning one.”

The report singles out the China State Shipbuilding Corporation as being “at the heart of this transformation”, operating 35 shipyards in total.

Of these, 12 were identified as having built warships along with commercial vessels while the remainder maintained “close ties to military projects” and personnel.

Overall the state shipbuilder churned out 1,093 hulls from 2019 to 2024 and accounted for 40pc of tonnage produced in China. Three quarters of its sales came from foreign companies.

The CSIS urged US lawmakers to counter the use of these “dual-use” yards by imposing higher docking fees on the ships they produce, even if they are controlled by non-Chinese shipping companies.

Researchers also urged a crackdown through the financial system on the China State Shipbuilding Corporation and greater support by the US government in domestic shipbuilding capabilities and those of its allies.

The US accounts for just 0.1pc of global shipbuilding today, with Japan having about 13pc and South Korea 29pc.

Donald Trump last week vowed that his administration would “resurrect” the American shipbuilding industry.

“We used to make so many ships,” the US president said. “We don’t make them any more very much, but we’re going to make them very fast, very soon. It will have a huge impact.”

[Nobody spends money on weapons they do not intend to use. Coupled with their nuclear bomb shelter programme, it should be obvious that China is preparing for WW3. China in particular is taking advantage of the apparent generosity of Europe and the US, who keep on importing goods that are "Made In China." One can imagine Jinping's glee at the stupidity of the West, where they are buying the goods to pay for his warmongering ambitions. The solution is to invest in bullet-proof air defenses, and naval autonomous drones. But the US and NATO military seem to blind to the obvious foil, intent on developing and manufacturing conventional weapons. NATO allies should take a leaf out of Ukraine's battle tactics. Drones in large numbers and effective air defences (early warning systems) are the only way to level the playing field on the high seas. It seems wWe are now in a "Warm War" pre stage to WW3.]

The USA and UK (or NATO) should have realised many years ago, that it will be impossible for them to keep pace with Chinese ship building in the conventional manner. As with the Russia/Ukraine conflict, drone warfare is becoming king. A cheap drone can destroy a $20 million dollar tank for a few $20 thousand dollars. The same is possible at sea, with drones like that proposed in 2014 by Bluebird Marine Systems: the "Wolverine ZCC robotic battleship." This is/was a proposal for a network of drones kept at sea on high alert at all times, precisely to level the playing field, the aim being to neutralize the threat of overwhelming numbers of aircraft carriers, destroyers and nuclear submarines - exactly as China are now building, most obviously with the intention to defeat President Trump's navy in any future battle for Taiwan. 

The attack on Ukraine by Russia and the Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, distracted the world from simmering Chinese ambitions. And it appears from the evidence, that is exactly the opportunity Beijing was waiting for. Allied to the building of a nuclear bunker network, one might reasonably expect that China is preparing for World War Three.

Not only that, China has borrowed $Trillions to underpin its military expansions. The International Monetary Fund, the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and other sources, such as the Article IV Consultation Reports, state that, at the end of 2014, the "general government gross debt"-to-GDP ratio for China was 41.54 percent. With China's 2014 GDP being US$ 10,356.508 billion, this makes the government debt of China approximately US$ 4.3 trillion.

The foreign debt of China, by June 2015, stood at around US$ 1.68 trillion, according to data from the country's State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) as quoted by the State Council. The figure excludes the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau. Chinese foreign debt denominated in the U.S. dollar was 80 percent of the total, euros 6 percent, and Japanese yen 4 percent. Per SAFE's 2019 balance of payments report, the external debt balance of the entire Chinese government at year end was 2% of GDP.

In 2023, aggregate local government debt had risen to 92 trillion yuan ($12.58 trillion) and the central government of People's Republic of China ordered its banks to roll over debts in a debt-restructuring. China's gross external debt in 2023 was $2.38 trillion. Presumably they figure if there is another world war, any borrowing will be swept under the carpet. So, might as well ramp up borrowing.

2014 DRONE SAFETY NET FEASIBILITY STUDY - THE NUMBERS GAME VERSUS OPERATIONAL COST

This costing exercise (feasibility study from 2014) was very basic and simply to give navies a ballpark figure for world naval coverage and first strike supremacy. The figures below are for 4,440 SAM missiles and 444 torpedoes in active service, making a total of $ 6.88 billion dollars. To upgrade the fleet to 6,660 SAMs and 666 torpedoes, the defence bill rises to $ 8.66 billion. That equates to one Seawolf class submarine ($2B) and one Nimitz class aircraft carrier ($6.2B).

The ultimate accessory will be the addition of a nuclear tipped intermediate range (cruise) missiles for each of the 222 operational ZCCs suggested as a minimum effective force. That ballpark study is to follow, where the modifications to each ZCC have to be considered as part of a redesign exercise.

At present the US operates 10 Nimitz class aircraft carriers, with the new Gerald Ford class estimated to cost around $13.5 billion a piece - for a bill of $135 billion dollars. Then there is the cost of provisioning and training the crew and decommissioning of the ships of highly polluting radioactive waste at the end of their service life.

The question is, for how long can navies continue to squander tax dollars on such pollution emitting behemoths that cannot possibly match the firepower of the nimble ZCC robot warship network. And, certainly cannot compete is terms of operational costs. 

MEDIA ARTICLES LEADING UP TO WWIII

BBC News - 19 May 2023 - Japan's pacifism hangs in the balance as China & North Korean threats loom

Big Break - June 2024 - Final Draft panel of judges $80,000 dollars prizes for winning scripts & screenplays

CNDUK - 15 May 2024 - Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament

CNN - 

Daily Express - 11 May 2024 - Putin crisis after NATO issues 'red lines' warning as West braces for WW3 with Russia

Daily Express - 8 July 2022 - What would happen in a NATO Vs BRICS war?

Daily Mail - 

Daily Star - 11 December 2023 - Zendaya is to play Cleopatra in Denis Villeneuve's epic with Sony Pictures

ITV - 

Jerusalem Post - 29 June 2022 - Israel state comptroller world not ready for cyber security WWIII

Mirror - 8 September 2025 - Immortality, organ transplants to live to 100, hand presidencies over to sons

MSN - 12 March 2025 - China builds equivalent of Royal Navy fleet in just 4 years

MSN - 15 October 2025 - $Trillion dollar choke hold, belt and road, rare earth minerals, national security risks

NBC News -

New York Times - 15 March 2022 - This is how World War Three begins

NTI Nuclear Threat Initiative - 31 October 2023 The Cyber Nuclear Threat

Reuters -

Sky -

The i - 16 May 2024 - We are at war with Russia - Emerging new world order Puting & Xi

The independent - 10 March 2017 - World War 3 is coming

The Independent - 3 September 2023 - Russian Cyber Attacks Relentless as threat of WW3 grows

The Guardian -

The Telegraph - 15 April 2024 - Wallace: West must stand up to Iranian bullies

The Telegraph - 21st August 2024 - US prepares for joint Chinese, North Korean & Russian missile strike

The Times -

The Washington Post -

Vox News - 17 March 2022 - Funding withdrawn for anti-nuclear campaigns despite Ukraine

Wall Street Journal - 

BOOKS INDEX

Michael Mathiesen - Cyber Wars United: We must win world war three - 17 July 2003

James Rosone & Miranda Watson - Book 1: Prelude to World War III
James Rosone & Miranda Watson - Book 2: Operation Red Dragon, the Unthinkable
James Rosone & Miranda Watson - Book 3: Operation Red Dawn and the Siege of Europe
James Rosone & Miranda Watson - Book 4: Cyber-Warfare and the New World Order

The devastating impact of a potential nuclear war as perceived by society has galvanized the public to protest and march to confront this dire subject, and make politicians aware of their concerns. These events are typically captured in televised news reports and in the press.

Mostly, news coverage focuses on conflicts around the world, the cumulative effect of which is to de-stabilize capitalist states to the advantage of communist states, or states that wish to spread their religious ideals using force, despite freedom of thought of conscience, as embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, being a right that applies equally and without discrimination to other religions. Where, the free democratic world recognises the rights of other nations, for their citizens to follow their faith without seeking to change their vocation or beliefs - and are welcomed in peace. But, the reciprocal acceptance of Christian and other related faiths in the West is not always forthcoming - most especially from extremists and terrorists.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/wallace-west-must-resist-iran-but-ukraine-needs-israel/ar-BB1lFTwX

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/china-builds-equivalent-of-royal-navy-in-just-four-years/ar-AA1AKW9f

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/03/12/china-builds-equivalent-of-royal-navy-in-just-four-years/

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/03/12/china-builds-equivalent-of-royal-navy-in-just-four-years/

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/china-builds-equivalent-of-royal-navy-in-just-four-years/ar-AA1AKW9f

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/wallace-west-must-resist-iran-but-ukraine-needs-israel/ar-BB1lFTwX

Commander John Storm just wants to be left alone to complete his DNA collection, and explore the uncharted regions on planet earth. But he always seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

CHAPTERS | CHARACTERS | MEDIA | MOVIE REF | SCREENPLAYS

  CHINESE NAVAL EXPANSION IN RACE TO BECOME GLOBAL MARITIME SUPERPOWER HAS BUILT MORE SHIPS THAN ENTIRE ROYAL NAVY FEET IN JUST FOUR YEARS - THE TELEGRAPH MSN 15TH MARCH 2025 - WW3III WORLD WAR THREE

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