“Arthur Herman's assertion that the "most recent era of great-power competition is over," with China "sliding into a distant second place," amounts to wishful thinking ("America Is the Sole Superpower Again," op-ed, Jan. 15). The U.S.-China military balance has been trending in the wrong direction for a long time.
Ten years ago, China's navy was largely focused on coastal defense, with few modern warships, including three Luyang III destroyers, 17 Jiangkai II frigates and a single aircraft carrier reserved for training missions. China's air force had zero operational J-20 fifth-generation stealth fighters. As recently as 2020, China's nuclear arsenal stood at around 200 warheads, reflecting a minimum nuclear deterrence posture.
Today, China is building a blue-water navy capable of power projection, operating three aircraft carriers, four amphibious assault ships, eight Renhai cruisers, 25 Luyang III destroyers, and 40 Jiangkai II frigates. China's air force flies hundreds of J-20s. China's military fields the world's largest ground-based conventional missile arsenal as well as numerous air-, ship-, and submarine-launched missiles. In five years, China's nuclear force has tripled to 600 warheads.
This constitutes one of history's greatest military expansions. Every year China keeps building more. Call it "Despotism's Forge."
In the interim, the U.S. military hasn't stood still, and it's never a good idea to bet against America. But China's military is quickly closing both quantitative and qualitative gaps -- and has pulled ahead in some areas, such as hypersonic weapons.
Hope isn't a strategy. And neither is hype -- even from the learned Mr. Herman.
Matthew Taylor King
Washington” [1]
1. The Making of a Chinese Military Superpower. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 17 Jan 2026: A12.
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