China’s investment in its maritime forces has led to a rapid increase in the size and capabilities of the Chinese navy and to China’s rise as a maritime power. The Chinese navy is taking on new missions to protect China’s political and economic interests in the near seas and potentially beyond. But questions have arisen as to how China defines those missions.

The Carnegie-Tsinghua Center and the Institute for Asia Pacific Studies hosted a joint conference on East Asia Maritime Issues. Admiral Yang Yi (Ret.) of the Chinese navy, Abraham Denmark of the Center for a New American Security, Stephanie Klein-Ahlbrandt of the International Crisis Group, Suk-joon Yoon of the ROK Naval War College, and other experts discussed China’s rise and maritime strategy. Liu Ming of the Institute of Asia Pacific Studies moderated.

China’s Maritime Rise

  • Context: China had traditionally been a “continental power,” with more focus on the army than the navy. Today, however, China’s economic growth and technological development provides the foundation for a naval build-up. As China’s global role expands, so do the missions and operational capabilities of its maritime forces.
     
  • Trajectory: Today, China’s maritime activities include maritime commerce, transportation, and research. Its maritime forces include merchant fleets, scientific research vessels, and naval forces. China’s naval equipment is improving and the operational range of its forces is expanding from coastal defense to high seas operations. In the past fifteen years, China has increased the number of destroyers and attack submarines in its navy and has built an aircraft carrier. However, there is a discrepancy between the strength of the Chinese navy as portrayed in the media and its current strength in reality.
     
  • Mission: China’s modern navy has been given the mission of defending national security and territorial integrity and avoiding and deterring conflict. Admiral Yang stated that the navy’s mission is primarily defensive. Denmark commented that the United States worries that the defensive perimeter China seeks to establish includes building zones of exclusivity which would reduce American power and make China the primary regional naval power.

China’s Maritime Strategy

  • A Chinese Maritime Strategy: Klein-Ahlbrandt argued that since a number of agencies had a significant role in promulgating South China Sea policy, China lacks a comprehensive maritime strategy. Admiral Yang said that China did not yet have a national maritime strategy, but he discussed it does have separate strategies for issues like Sea Lanes of Communication, the South China Sea, and Taiwan.
     
  • Near Seas: Admiral Yang emphasized that, due to their common  reliance on foreign trade, China share the U.S. and Japanese interest in keeping the sea lines of communication open. Denmark stated that the United States perceives China as pursuing a political, economic, and military strategy to build Chinese power in the region and oppose a U.S. forward presence in the near seas and potentially outward from there. French participant Alexandre Sheldon-Duplaix  of the French National Defense University argued that while China seems to be pursuing a Soviet-style bastion strategy in the near seas where China could intercept U.S. operations, Beijing does not seek a forward presence in the Indian Ocean or beyond.
     
  • Territorial Disputes: Klein-Albrecht said that if Beijing has a single policy on territorial maritime disputes, it is to move ahead with economic cooperation and hope the disputes are resolved later. Admiral Yang stated that China will not rely on its naval forces for a solution in the South China Sea and that solutions to challenges will be through political means.
     
  • The Aircraft Carrier: Sheldon-Duplaix argued that China intended to use the aircraft carrier to extend the operation of its fleet by providing air cover and enable China to establish a bastion in the near seas. Denmark and Admiral Yang both emphasized the political importance of the carrier. Admiral Yang stated that although there is not a clear purpose for the carrier yet, it could be used to provide air coverage to naval forces or in response to a crisis in the Taiwan Straits.

Areas of Conflict

  • Sovereignty Disputes: China asserts sovereignty over the islands within the 9-dash line, which conflicts with the claims of other states in the region. U.S. Admiral Eric McVadon stated that the United States does not understand whether China claims the maritime area within the 9-dash line as territorial waters or not. Admiral Yang explained that China asserted sovereignty over the islands and that the waters were a core national interest.
     
  • Freedom of Navigation: The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) describes the right of freedom of navigation on the high seas and in the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of other states. Denmark stated that the U.S. believes China is trying to assert sovereign rights in its EEZs in violation of UNCLOS by trying to exclude U.S. ships. A Chinese Scholar disagreed, arguing that China supports free navigation but believes that, in the EEZs, it does not extend to military exercises or intelligence gathering.
     
  • United States Military Activities: Chinese scholars raised the issue of U.S. aircraft flying near China, which they argued caused “sensitive feelings” and implied that the United States viewed China as a strategic enemy, not a partner. Denmark stated that China’s proximity to North Korea means that U.S. planes will fly near China in operations directed at Pyongyang.

Areas for Cooperation

  • Keeping SLOCs Open: Protecting maritime commerce by keeping the Sea Lines of Communication open, particularly the Malacca Straits, is vital for China’s national interests. China and other regional powers like the United States and Japan may, therefore, cooperate in providing the public good of free navigation.
     
  • Combating Non-Traditional Threats: Chinese and U.S. interests are also aligned respecting piracy, humanitarian assistance, disaster response, and counter-proliferation, and therefore there should be opportunities for cooperation in these areas.
     
  • Potential Obstacles: Denmark emphasized that different paradigms of shared responsibility may make cooperation difficult. Admiral Yang stated that China prefers to begin cooperation by resolving strategic issues and the United States by resolving details and that this may obstruct cooperation between the two countries.