Two of the most important elements in international relations are geography and politics. They are two of the pillars that form the basis of states’ foreign policy, and geopolitics is the result of both of these factors.
The access of a country to important trade routes and resources is defined by geography, while politics is important because the geostrategic location of a state is influenced by the political environment. In the case of the great powers, geopolitics plays an even more important role than it does for the small states, because for the great powers it is essential to demonstrate their geographical extent in terms of both political and physical influence.
Maritime power is an important geographic determinant and therefore contributes to a state’s international standing. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) desperately needs not only land power, but also maritime power to engage and compete with the United States as a potential hegemon. In this article we will expose the PRC’s maritime geopolitical ambitions in its two coastal seas, the East China Sea and the South China Sea.
Alfred Mahan in his book “The Influence of Sea Power Upon History” advanced the importance of the seas by defining them as Great Highways that contain the routes to take men in all directions, determining the choke points and strategically important geopolitical points that give a state power over seas, as in the past that of Great Britain. And in today’s geopolitical environment, China is following same steps to expand its influence on the seas.
East China Sea
Although, China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLAN) Navy has developed and progressed at a rapid pace, helping China enforce its maritime claims, it is still unable to influence maritime geography beyond the East and South China sea, due to the lack of consolidation of its power in these seas. Therefore, this article focuses on the factors and recent developments that could change this situation, taking into account the decisive role that the PRC is playing in its coastal seas. Although the South China Sea is the current geopolitical limelight, which we will talk about later, the conflict between the United States and China, in the East China Sea, is proving to be also o of greater geopolitical importance, as Japan is a key player in the region and a strong ally of the United States, and under its security umbrella.
In its power struggle with Japan, in its quest for political consolidation in the region, and growing demand for resources, China has taken on an aggressive claim in the East China Sea. Along with its competition with the United States in terms of the exercise of political influence, the geopolitical dimension of the East China Sea is also important in its regional power competition with Japan. Consequently, to avoid this geopolitical nightmare, Japan has embarked on a massive military modernization in recent years. The importance of the qualitative and quantitative improvement of this military modernization of Japan has been further triggered by the fact that Chinese warships in the Senkaku Islands, apparently bought by Japanese private owners, have increased in numbers more than that of Japan.
In order to monitor activities in East Asia, the military bases in islands such as Senkaku Island play an important strategic geopolitical role. The trade routes in the East China Sea are of enormous importance for economic trade, making the region geographically strategic, with critical importance and sensitivity. This economic interest, along with other interests, such as US diplomatic and political influence over Japan in the region, are among the reasons of US interference in East China Sea politics.
The conflict on the East China Sea between China and Japan, like other political or geographical tensions, has spread to the economic sector. The political economy of both countries is targeted by the conflict because Japan is the third largest trading partner of the People’s Republic of China and Japanese companies operate in mainland China. The conflict in the East China Sea has led to the closure of these Japanese companies, which will have a further impact on economic relations in the near future.
Additionally, China is building artificial islands in the East China Sea. These islands are expected to provide China with eyes and ears in East Asia, becoming naval and military centers, increasing China’s strong strategic influence but at the greatest risk of a geopolitical confrontation with Japanese forces. With an economic and trade war underway between the US and China, the US is unable to escalate a major armed conflict to stop these military buildups of China. This is why Washington is only diplomatically condemning these actions.
South China Sea
China’s ambitions in the South China Sea can also reveal major geopolitical events and instances. The confrontation in the South China Sea is larger in scale because it is not bilateral, it is not just about the power struggle between China and the United States, it is about multiple states because there are many states whose stakes are involved in the South China Sea, including Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam and of course China. The region is rich in natural resources and fishing grounds. The Chinese government claims the South China Sea, as their historical area, and control over the Islands of Paracels and Spratlys because these islands, according to political maps drawn in 1947, were declared within the boundaries of the nine dash line and therefore part of the Chinese territory.
Expanding maritime influence in order to pursue its geopolitical interests in the South China Sea is among the top priorities of the People’s Liberation Army Navy, which as a result is building man-made military structures in an area of up to three thousand acres. These are referred to by the Chinese authorities as “necessary defense structures” whose purpose is the security of the Chinese maritime forces. But it is well known that this justification is part of the face-saving strategy due to the obvious fact that military presence leads to the authoritative claim of the South China Sea region.
The hegemony of the United States is decreasing with great speed due to the increase of more challengers. In general terms, this Chinese expansion in the South China Sea, which ignores the international laws of the sea, is unacceptable to the United States. This is why US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in his interview, called these geopolitical moves by China in the South China Sea as “completely illegal” and of grave geopolitical concern. The United States has also deployed its heavy military ships in the South China Sea, ostensibly as part of the right to “free navigation,” but it is actually to monitor Chinese military developments. The United States has also deployed warships and missile destroyers to the region as a reaction to Chinese naval exercises in the South China Sea. This chain of conflict of action between the United States and China can lead to a major geopolitical stalemate.
Conclusion
The access to major oceans, and to the long coastline, and reliable ports, the presence of scattered islands, are geographical features that are vital and can enhance a state’s naval power. China, through its consolidated influence on the East China Sea and the South China Sea, can acquire these geographical characteristics and consequently the geopolitical influence and the power to compete with the United States as a potential hegemon.
Image Credit: Xinhua