how many ships does china have in reserve and can deploy?

Question

i was wondering if the us were to engage in conflict with china in the future, would chinas massively increasing production rate overpower our naval forces?

Answer 1

At present China has very little in the way of credible power-projection capabilities, though China can already project military forces superior to those that South-east Asian countries could deploy to the South China Sea.

The PLA Navy has studied the acquisition of an aircraft carrier since the mid-1980s, and there are persistant reports that China has plans to launch a 40,000 ton class aircraft carrier by 2010, though these reports remain unsubstantiated and appear to based on woefully inadequate analysis and information.

Other PLA Navy info:
58 submarines
1 aircraft carrier (the 'Shichang'=Multirole Aviation training Ship)
27 Destroyers
45 frigates
90 Guided Missile boats
9 Torpedo Boats
238 Patrol Boats
i left out cargo, merchant marine and various support ships.

Answer 2

Jane's Fighting Ships web-site will give you the numbers.I was in the USN during the 80's when the USSR outnumbered our fleet approximately 2 to 1.It's not really about numerical supremacy as much as it's about technological advantage.The days of naval battles involving ships slugging it out with guns are pretty well over.In a modern naval engagement,you would never see the other combatant.During the last US naval conflict,(1983 to 1988 history now refers to it as the "Tanker War") we engaged the Iranian navy and annihilated 2/3 of it in a little over 16 hours.The ships engaged in the battle never saw one another.

Added:
Google "Tanker War Iranian Mines" and you can see one of my old ships,the USS Roanoke.

Answer 3

They are increasing their fleet, but it is all in submarines, destroyers, and cruisers. They don't have any aircraft carriers. So until they can match our 12 active nuclear powered carriers, they don't stand a chance.