Abstract
This paper combines offensive realism and gunboat diplomacy theory for analyzing the potential diplomatic and military meanings of China's new aircraft carrier ”Liaoning.” Moreover, the paper discuss the inevitable factors for the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) to establish a reliable capability for operating an aircraft carrier battle group (CVBG) against potential threats. This paper argues that China will take several years for the Liaoning to reach full capacity, mainly due to training and coordination which will take significant amount of time for Chinese PLA Navy to complete as this is the first aircraft carrier in their possession. However, the PLAN's new CVBG still may enhance the image of hegemony of China in regional neighbors. Therefore, Beijing intends to carefully use its CVBG's power to assist its diplomacy in order to avoid the more doubt of China's rising ambition in other countries, but the more spiral strategic conflicts are expectable in the future.
| Translated title of the contribution | Analyzing the Diplomatic and Military Impact of China's Aircraft Carrier: A Realist Conception |
|---|---|
| Original language | Chinese (Traditional) |
| Pages (from-to) | 137-154 |
| Number of pages | 18 |
| Journal | 臺灣國際研究季刊 |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Publication status | Published - 2013 |