The Falklands War and the making of the modern Chinese naval procurement policy

In February 1983, China cancelled its largest arms deal with the West, the Type 051 refit contract with Britain. Though Beijing cited cost, London found the explanation unconvincing. The prevailing view holds that the Falklands War discredited British naval hardware. Drawing on British archives, the PLA Daily commentary and participants’ recollections, this article argues instead that the lessons drawn from the war shaped the Type 051 modernisation plan. The lesson of Argentina’s dependence on imported weapons doomed the bilateral project, while the lesson of the imperative of ocean-going capabilities set the terms of Chinese naval procurement for decades afterwards.