China ramps up maritime strategy in zone around US territory
Confirmation of PLA Navy operations within US economic zone sends a strong message to Washington and other powers, analysts say
The People's Liberation Army has ramped up China's maritime strategy with the weekend's confirmation of PLA Navy operations within the 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) around a US territory, mainland analysts say.
They say it marks China's acceptance of international norms in maritime affairs, while others view it as increasing its challenge to other powers in the region.
Mainland experts on the international law of the sea said the move suggested a significant change in China's maritime strategy and development policy, while some defence analysts said the missions ordered by Beijing significantly raised the likelihood of a confrontation between China and other regional powers.
Some analysts said the policy, revealed at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore at the weekend, also belied China's repeated protestations that its intent was purely peaceful.
"At meetings like the Shangri-La Dialogue, China is always trying to explain that it is focused on moving forward in a peaceful way, but I don't think it has changed its military policy at all," said Masayuki Masuda, a China expert at Japan's National Institute of Defence Studies.
It is assumed the territory is the Pacific island of Guam, an important outpost for the US military in the western Pacific, and that the waters around Hawaii and along the West Coast of the United States are still too distant for operations by the PLA Navy.
China and the US have struggled to agree on rules for operating on the high seas amid rising tensions across the region as China's military strength grows. The other assumption, according to some analysts in the region, is that China is using her fleet of submarines to enter the US EEZ.