Understanding China’s naval ship building industry – lessons India can learn*

ABSTRACT This article examines the major shipbuilding programmes of the PLA Navy (PLAN) with the purpose of assessing the capabilities of the shipyards engaged in their construction. It analyses the reasons underpinning the Chinese Navy’s ability to convert capital into assets in an efficient, time-bound, and cost-effective manner. It also examines the PLAN’s organisation, structure, scale and best practices, with the aim of identifying those tenets that could be adopted by Indian shipyards to boost efficiency. The piece concludes by making recommendations on these issues.