Top US admiral says he’s watching China’s rapid naval buildup closely

TOKYO — The top U.S. admiral on Monday called China ’s shipbuilding capability “impressive” as Beijing moves ahead with a rapid buildup of the world’s largest navy, and said America’s cooperation with Asian allies South Korea and Japan is essential for its own shipbuilding capability.

“How they utilize those aircraft carriers globally is, of course, a concern of mine,” Adm. Daryl Caudle said in Japan, part of his 10-day tour of the Asia-Pacific.

China on Nov. 7 commissioned its latest aircraft carrier, Fujian , and began sea trials of its most advanced amphibious assault ship last week. China’s navy already has more ships than the U.S. Navy, but it has fewer aircraft carriers, amphibious assault ships and other key vessels.

“We watch that very closely and see what they’re going to do there,” Caudle said of the amphibious assault ship. “That’s a large ship, very capable.”

But he added: “When you’ve got a lot of friends and allies, we have a pretty large, combined force ourselves,” noting the capability of Japan, South Korea, Australia and other partners in the region.

His visit to Tokyo comes as Japan’s conservative new prime minister has stirred tensions with China by suggesting a Chinese move against Taiwan could prompt a Japanese military response.

Earlier Monday, Caudle visited the U.S. Navy base of Yokosuka and a local shipbuilding facility. “What we are willing to do with Japan and South Korea is to bolster U.S. shipbuilding,” he said.

He also called a plan for South Korea under a recent agreement with the U.S. to have a nuclear-powered submarine “very nascent.”

Japan has also expressed interest in developing a nuclear-powered submarine, though that may face public resistance in a country that suffered atomic bombings and has non-nuclear principles.

东京——美国最高海军将领周一称中国的造船能力“令人印象深刻”，北京正在迅速建设世界上规模最大的海军。他还表示，美国与亚洲盟友韩国和日本的合作对其自身的造船能力至关重要。

“他们如何在全球范围内使用这些航空母舰，当然是我关心的问题，”达里尔·考德尔海军上将在日本表示，这是他为期 10 天的亚太地区访问行程的一部分。

11月7日，中国最新型航空母舰“福建”号正式服役；上周，中国最先进的两栖攻击舰也开始了海试。中国海军的舰艇数量已经超过美国海军，但在航空母舰、两栖攻击舰和其他关键舰艇方面，中国海军的数量仍然少于美国海军。

“我们会密切关注他们在那里的行动，”考德尔谈到那艘两栖攻击舰时说。“那是一艘大型舰艇，性能非常强大。”

但他补充道：“当你有很多朋友和盟友时，我们自己就拥有了一支相当庞大的联合力量，”他指出日本、韩国、澳大利亚和该地区其他伙伴的能力。

在他访问东京之际，日本保守派新首相暗示，中国对台湾采取的行动可能会引发日本的军事回应，这加剧了与中国的紧张关系。

周一早些时候，考德尔访问了位于横须贺的美国海军基地和当地一家造船厂。他说：“我们愿意与日本和韩国合作，共同促进美国造船业的发展。”

他还称韩国根据最近与美国达成的协议建造核动力潜艇的计划“还处于非常初级的阶段”。

日本也曾表示有兴趣发展核动力潜艇，但在一个遭受过原子弹轰炸且奉行无核原则的国家，这可能会遭到公众的抵制。