Alexander C. Huang @Sinostrategy - Twitter Profile

7 days ago

Alexander Huang: The temporary absence of a US carrier strike group from the Western Pacific, he said, does not mean the US lacks contingency plans or surge capabilities. https://t.co/y40FDPV89y

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Andrew Erickson 艾立信

@AndrewSErickson

2 months ago

Honored to Review “#China’s Mahan: Admiral Liu Huaqing & the Rise of the Modern Chinese Navy”—in @chinaquarterly! https://t.co/lNovSXuQqM A renowned & prolific historian of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA), Xiaobing Li once again delivers a uniquely illuminating account, this time with the definitive biography of China’s most important naval strategist of the 20th century. Admiral Liu Huaqing concluded his long career as PLA Navy (PLAN) Commander (1982–1988), senior-ranking CMC Vice Chairman (1989–1998), & one of just 7 Politburo Standing Committee Members (1992–1997) – the last #military officer to hold such a position. Li’s highly accessible work is well worth reading, especially given the importance of China’s dramatic naval development – much of which Liu oversaw, & some for which he laid the groundwork & continued influencing even after retirement. But this book offers a still broader story: that of one of the most powerful & influential bureaucrats in PRC history & a direct participant in the elite decision-making & policy implementation of critical periods. In many ways, Liu’s life is a military-maritime microcosm of the major forces shaping 20th-century Chinese history. As Li’s title suggests – & as the introduction explicitly asks – was Liu ultimately a “Red Mahan” or “China’s Gorshkov”? Li argues persuasively that while Liu absorbed aspects of Mahanian maritime thinking, his institutional & strategic development often bore at least as much resemblance to the long-dominant Soviet Admiral Sergey Gorshkov. Li demonstrates the extent to which Soviet institutional models, educational systems & operational concepts shaped the formative PLAN. Particularly valuable is Li’s effort to situate Liu within a much longer intellectual & institutional lineage of Chinese maritime thought, extending from late-Qing encounters with Mahan to Soviet naval influence during the early Cold War & close PRC study of American naval gold-standard examples (e.g. nuclear submarine safety procedures). The cogent result has implications not only for how we may best understand Liu, but – given his exceptional and enduring influence – how we should understand China’s #Navy & the currents that shape & propel it to this day. Particularly valuable is Li’s demonstration that many features associated with Xi Jinping’s navy – including maritime rights protection, far-seas operations, aircraft carrier development & nuclear deterrence patrols – rest on conceptual, institutional & bureaucratic foundations Liu spent decades advancing. Undeniably talented & dedicated, Liu started with the advantage of being unusually well educated for someone of a revolutionary peasant background. In a fortuitous foundation that would later help elevate him to the commanding heights of political-military affairs, he enjoyed exceptionally close relations & trust with (eventual paramount leader) Deng Xiaoping, for whom he worked closely over 14 highly consequential years (1938–1952). Long after his wartime service, Liu remained willing to take considerable risks to advance as he thought best the principles to which he dedicated his life. In 1975, while leading the PLAN … … …

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Alexander C. Huang

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