China's coastal defense demands more security from its navy, although it is decades behind its advanced counterparts

Since its establishment in 1949, China's navy has taken great strides both in terms of its size and operation capabilities. With the efforts of generations, the navy has developed from a single unit into a composite force composed of submarines, surface fleet, naval aviation vessels, marine corps and coastal defense units, laying the structural foundation for its modernization.

With its strategic transformation from coastal defense to inshore defense, the overall inshore fighting capability of China's navy has improved continuously and its defense cordon has extended farther into the seas over the decades. The navy, with its growing fighting capabilities, is a reliable protector of China's maritime rights and interests, and a forceful promoter of harmonious waters.