Research Focus
China wants to become a ‘maritime great power,’ a term Chinese President Xi Jinping uses as part of his national revitalization rhetoric. To this end, China is building a blue-water navy that can control its near seas, fight and win regional wars, and protect its vital sea lanes and its many political and economic interests beyond East Asia.
What is China trying to achieve in the maritime domain? How does it plan to do so? And how should the United States respond to the threats posed by China’s maritime objectives? The Chinese Maritime Ambitions project answers these questions by considering China’s national discourse, military capabilities, and behavior.
Using this framework, this line of research distinguishes between China's ambitions and methods in the near seas — the South China Sea (SCS) and the East China Sea (ECS) — vs. those in the far seas — the Indian Ocean and beyond. In the near seas, China is concerned with sovereignty and regional hegemony. In the far seas, China is concerned with protecting the sources of Chinese Communist Party domestic legitimacy such as economic growth, guarding against external political pressure, and protecting Chinese nationals.
While China’s maritime ambitions are problematic in both the near and far seas, U.S. policy must consider these differences in the degree of threat and risk. China’s maritime ambitions in the near seas pose the greatest threat to the interests and security of the United States and its allies. In contrast, in the far seas, there are aspects of China's current objectives that are legitimate and do not necessarily threaten U.S. interests. China’s methods, however, undermine stability, democratic norms, and sound economic development. There is also a risk that China could change its strategy in the far seas to disrupt freedom of navigation as its capabilities evolve.
