China’s Naval Ambitions Spur New Regional Strategic Planning

SITUATION: Defense planning efforts in East Asia have been markedly influenced by China’s bellicose response to the detention of a Chinese fisherman for ramming a Japanese naval boat in disputed waters. ANALYSIS: The detention generated vituperative reactions from Beijing, out of character from its traditional policy of quiet insistence on territorial claims while building naval capacity. This episode, in conjunction with China’s continuing claim of primacy in the South China Sea as a ‘core interest’, is encouraging increased discussion among its regional neighbors regarding naval collaboration. Territorial Claims: Sino-Japanese tensions regarding the detention were inflamed by the location of the incident. The Diaoyu/Senkaku islands, situated in the East China Sea, are believed to be … . . . → Full Story: China’s Naval Ambitions Spur New Regional Strategic Planning