China’s shipyards are ready for a protracted war, America’s aren’t

China has built the world’s largest coast guard and fishing fleet, and an extensive merchant marine – adding to the nation’s sea power. (Image: CFOTO/Zuma Press)

The Wall Street Journal

Thu, 15 Feb 2024

By Niharika MandhanaChina emerged as a global power by turning itself into the world’s factory floor. It is expanding that power and its military might with another striking industrial feat: becoming the world’s shipyard.More than half of the world’s commercial shipbuilding output came from China last year – making it the top global shipmaker by a wide margin. The once-prolific shipyards of the West that helped forge empires, expand trade and win wars have shrivelled. Europe accounts for just 5% of the world’s...

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