evidence: China now possesses the biggest navy in the world by number of hulls, the U.S. Defense Department confirmed in its recent report on Beijing’s armed forces. [...] Comparing the offensive missile capacities of the U.S. and Chinese fleets is illustrative. Yes, the People’s Liberation Army Navy has 355 front-line warships at least as large as a corvette—and more than 400 if you also count small coastal missile boats. The U.S. Navy by contrast has just 305 front-line ships. [...] The Chinese fleet is expanding as more destroyers and frigates join the fleet. The PLAN’s missile holdings surely will grow in coming years. No one expects the USN’s own missile count to increase, however.