The People's Liberation Army Navy Surface Force is the surface warfare branch of China's People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), consisting of all surface vessels in operational service with the PLAN. The PLAN Surface Force operates 661 ships organized into three fleets: the North Sea Fleet, the East Sea Fleet and the South Sea Fleet. Since the late 20th century, the People's Liberation Army Navy is turning away from its traditional focus on coastal and littoral warfare and instead prioritizing the development of blue water capabilities. This has led to a significant reduction in fleet numbers as the PLAN has replaced a larger number of smaller ships with a smaller number of larger, more capable and versatile ships, including destroyers, frigates, corvettes, amphibious warfare ships and large auxiliary ships. According to the 2020 China Military Power Report published by The Pentagon in September 2020, as of early 2020, China has the largest navy in the world with an overall battle force of approximately 350 surface ships and submarines, including over 130 major surface combatants — in comparison, the United States Navy's battle force is approximately 293 ships. (en)