China’s Navy’s True Combat Power Collapses: Only 120 Ships Left That Can Fight!

Nov 25, 2025 - 10:54

Benjamin Blandin, a French scholar and associate researcher at the Korea Institute of Maritime Strategy, raised a key point at a South China Sea conference. He revealed that while China claims to have 400 naval ships, only around 120 are truly capable of long-range operations, after accounting for maintenance and training. Blandin's statement highlights a critical gap in China’s naval capabilities, exposing that the Chinese navy cannot simultaneously maintain global presence, handle multiple conflicts, and remain combat-ready, despite official claims to the contrary. This discrepancy is becoming increasingly evident in the South China Sea.