What are the geopolitical interests of contemporary China
China’s geopolitical interests include controlling access to the
Strait of Malacca, which provides access to the world’s most important
shipping lanes in the South China Sea; controlling access to Tibet and
the Tibetan Plateau, which gives them access to the Tibetan sources of
three of China’s great rivers, the Yellow, Yangtze, and Mekong;
controlling access to the oil, minerals, precious metals, and markets
of Africa; and maintaining amicable relations with Russia and other
states along the Strait of Malacca and the South China Sea, while also
protecting its territorial claims and interests in these regions.
On the Land
Buffer Zone on the land: Tibet
Tibet is strategically important to China’s geopolitics due to its
location between India and China.
The Himalayas and Karakorum Range form a natural barrier along the
Chinese-Indian border, effectively blocking military and economic
contact between the two most populous countries in the world. This
‘Great Wall’ serves as an inescapable reminder of their separation.
By controlling Tibet, China can prevent India from having access to
it, and prevent India from basing military forces there, which would
give them the commanding heights, and a base from which india
might be able to push to the Chinese heartland. Additionally, Tibet is
home to the sources of three of China’s great rivers, making it known
as “China’s Water Tower”. China needs to control Tibet in order to
ensure its access to these vital resources and protect their
security.
The Kazakh border is theoretically a weak spot for China
Figure 1: the Kazakh border could theoretically be a weak spot to China’s defence
The gap between the desert and the mountain makes a weak spot to
China’s defense, but it’s far from the heart land, so less crutial.
Figure 2: the desert in China
Another Buffer Zone on the Land: Xinjiang
Xinjiang is an extremely large area of mountainous and desert terrain,
twice the size of Texas and big enough to fit the UK and seven other
European countries inside it.
Xinjiang is strategically important to China because it boarders with
Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan,
Pakistan and India. It is also the place that has oil and where China
conducts its nuclear weapon tests.
Along the side of the Pacific
The access to the Pacific from the coastal area of China has in
between the “First Island Chain”1 and
“Nine-dash-line”2. Free access to the Pacific might not be a
problem in peaceful times but can be fatal during wartime.
East China Sea: conflicts with Japan
From the Yellow Sea rounding around the Korean Peninsula, going
through the Sea of Japan and up through La Perouse Strait above
Hokkaido, navigating through La Perouse Strait3 and into the
Pacific.
Figure 1: The Chinese vessels have to go through territories from Japan if they want to navigate to the Pacific ocean through the north
The Diaoyu Island/Senkaku island dispute
Figure 1: The Japanese and Chinese each claim having territorial control over the region
The region matters to China’s geopolitical interests for two reasons:
They might want their ships to pass through the East China Sea
off Shanghai, passing through Ryukyu Island which includes
Okinawa, into the Pacific.
The Americans have a military base around Okinawa when
during conflicts, the Japanese can pile up as many
shore-to-ship missiles 4 as they can.
The newly found rich gas deposits in the East China Sea.
Taiwan, conflicts with Taiwan and the USA
Historical fact
Taiwan has been under Chinese control since the seventeenth
century, but it has only been ruled by China for five years in
the last century (1945-1949). Currently, it is an American ally,
with its navy and air force armed by Washington.
Geopolitical interests of the Region?
Trade route?
Technology?
South China Sea: conflicts with countries in South East Asia
The South China Sea is the subject of a dispute between China and
several other countries, including Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam,the
Philippines, and Brunei. Each country has their own competing
claims about fishing zones, exploration rights, and sovereignty,
illustrated by the example of the Mischief Islands5 in the
Spratly Islands. These disputes involve hundreds of atolls, as
well as smaller rocks in the water.
Figure 1: The South China Sea disputes, picture subject to copyright to Forbes.
Why the South China Sea is important to China
Energy security, the reliance on Strait of Malacca,
where 80% of its energy supply pass.
The natural resources under the sea
Trade route.
Indian Ocean: conflicts with India
According to geopolitical writer Robert Kaplan, China wants to
become the two-ocean power(Pacific and Indian), as what Americans
once did in the Caribbean (which helps to consolidate the USA’s
power in both the Atlantic and Pacific).
Figure 1: the indian ocean port development
China is taking a multi-faceted approach to become a two-ocean
power. This includes building a Blue Water navy6, investing
in deep-water ports in countries bordering the Indian Ocean and
Bay of Bengal7, The measure helps to secure its access to the
Pacific and Indian Oceans and to reduce its reliance on the
Strait of
Malacca. China is also attempting to diplomatically win the
favor of South-East Asian countries and is investing in
construction projects and lending money to the governments. For
example, it beat a path to Burma, when the Burmese Junta8
gradually opens its door to the outside of the world in 2010.
The First Island Chain is a defensive naval strategy employed by China to secure its maritime borders. It involves the creation of an archipelago of military bases and fortifications along a line of islands stretching from the Kuril Islands in the north to the Malay Archipelago in the south. The goal of the strategy is to protect China’s territorial waters and prevent hostile powers from entering the region.
The Nine-Dash Line, also known as the Nine-Dotted Line, is a territorial demarcation line claimed by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in the South China Sea. It is the basis of the PRC’s claim to nearly all of the waters and islands of the South China Sea, and is used by the PRC to justify its extensive territorial claims in the area.
Figure 1: China’s geopolitics in the South China Sea region (source)
The strait is currently claimed by Japan but controlled by Russia. ↩︎
Shore-to-ship missiles are missiles that are launched from land-based sites, such as the tip of the Ryukyu Islands, towards ships in the sea. These missiles are used to protect the land-based site from naval attacks. ↩︎
The Mischief Islands are a group of uninhabited islands in the
Spratly Islands archipelago located in the South China Sea. They are
contested by several nations in the region, including the Philippines
and China, and are valuable due to their potential for oil and gas
exploitation. ↩︎
Blue Water navy is a term used to refer to a navy that is
capable of operating in open ocean areas far from the shore, rather
than just in coastal waters. This type of navy is typically equipped
with a variety of ships, aircraft, and submarines that are designed to
operate in deep water. A Blue Water navy is essential for a country to
maintain a presence in the open oceans and to project its power
globally. ↩︎
The Burmese Junta is a military government in Burma (now known
as Myanmar) that came to power in 2010. The Junta has opened up to the
outside world in order to gain foreign influence. ↩︎
