evidence: A new report from the U.S. Department of Defense claims the Chinese Navy, known officially as the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), is the largest in the world. According to the Pentagon, the PLAN has 350 battle force ships, as opposed to the U.S. Navy's 293 ships. While the U.S. Navy is far larger by tonnage, that advantage could be erased given China’s frantic shipbuilding schedule. [...] The Pentagon's 2020 Military and Security Developments on the People’s Republic of China says the PLAN is "numerically the largest navy in the world" with 350 battle force ships, or ships that are able to contribute to combat operations. This includes 86 missile patrol boats, 49 corvettes, 53 frigates, 32 destroyers, one cruiser, 52 nuclear and conventionally powered attack submarines, four nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, 58 major amphibious ships, and two aircraft carriers assigned to the Northern, Eastern, and Southern navies, with the other 100 ships assigned elsewhere. The last four decades have made a tremendous difference for the PLAN. The fleet is larger and almost fully modernized. The Type 054A Jiangkai II frigate is more or less at the level of Western frigates, particularly European ships, while the new Type 055 Renhai cruiser could be a real match for the U.S. Navy’s aging Ticonderoga-class ships.