People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)

The naval branch of China’s People’s Liberation Army, the maritime service of the PRC. Organized into three theater fleets (North Sea, East Sea, South Sea), the PLAN has grown into the world’s largest navy by hull count and fields aircraft carriers (Liaoning, Shandong, Fujian), Type 055 cruisers, and Type 052D destroyers. It is widely assessed by defense analysts as transitioning from a green-water force toward sustained blue-water reach, with anti-access and area-denial systems shaping its near-seas posture.