The Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s coastal defences are considered the most formidable in the world, and deploy a wide range of mobile cruise missile systems capable of engaging targets far out to sea.
The majority of launchers in the arsenal are equipped with YJ-12 and YJ-62 anti-ship cruise missiles, although hypersonic missiles such as the YJ-20 are expected to also be brought into service o future launchers.
YJ-12 Anti-Ship Cruise Missile Fired From Mobile Launcher
Although coastal defense networks are relied on heavily by states which lack sizeable surface navies, such as Russia, Vietnam and North Korea, China has continued to invest in such capabilities despite fielding one of the world’s most formidable surface fleets.
The service entry of new generations of much longer ranged and more capable cruise missiles, and the significantly improvement of reconnaissance capabilities over the East China Sea, Yellow Sea, Sea of Japan and South China Sea, allows coastal defense systems to play much greater roles in regional contingencies. The proximity of many key hotspots to the coastline of the Chinese mainland, including the Taiwan Strait and surrounding waters, is a further contributor to these systems’ high importance for China’s defense.
American Buddhist Net 