ROK: 20,000; 60 aircraft

Japan: 16,000; 130 aircraft

7th Fleet: 40 vessels; 70 aircraft

St. Darwin

687,000 troops

17 Div

12 Subs

491 aircraft

Sovereignty disputes in East & South China Seas

SLOCs’ protection

Securing fisheries and other marine resources

Securing its energy interests

Countering piracy, gun-running, oil slicks

Strategic domination- “two ocean strategy” and countering dominant powers

PLA Navy modernisation and expansion

Investments in the energy sector abroad for securing its energy interests

Capacity build-up in the maritime infrastructure –shipping, ports & Transport

Deployment of naval troops for counter-piracy missions and gaining dual-use experience in out of area operations

Contesting the US forces in the South China Sea and beyond and imposition of ADIZ

86.85

73.02

48.81

69.79

39.99 38.81

57.6354.26

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

US Japan Canada South

Korea

Australia Norway UK China

China in Comparison to others in Maritime economy,

technology, resources, sustainability and Management

1.41 2.093.21 3.25 2.99 3.28 3.54 3.783.37

4.426.04 5.7 4.86 4.84 4.93 5.2

15.54 14.6917.52 16.53

15.15 14.75 15.8316.57

52.45

39.29

46.54

40.33

43.38

32.0730.74 30.81

50.54

60.86

57.63

51.41

37.65

43.0144.39

47.79

4.056.24

11.5713.17 14.22

17.919.48

21.15

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2011

China/ GlobalChina/ Developing EconomiesChina/ Asian Developing CountriesChina/ East AsiaChina/Southeast AsiaChina/G20

Comparison of the share of China’s Marine Transportation with other

economies (%age)

Fisheries , 387

Marine transportation ,

511

Tourism, 785

China’s Maritime GDP in 2013 – Yuan 5.4 trillion. Of these, major items include

Concepts - Deng Zhonghua, head of the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs

with the Foreign Ministry on September 10, 2012

Territorial sea - in 1958, PRC had set 12 nautical miles as the width of its territorial sea.

Contiguous zone - Law of the People's Republic of China on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone in 1992;

Exclusive economic zone –

Baseline –◦ a first batch of base points and baselines announced for China’s territorial sea in 1996, delineating

baselines of most coastal sections of the mainland and the Xisha Islands;

◦ The baselines of the Diaoyu Islands are delimited in accordance with the 17 base points of China's territorial sea selected from them; [China's territorial sea is the extension of 12 nautical miles from

these baselines toward the ocean](C) www.jnu.ac.in/faculty/srikanth

(C) www.jnu.ac.in/faculty/srikanth

•1974 Paracels 西沙群島; 1988 Mischief Reef 南沙群島;

•1992 NPC Law 人民大會規範

•UNCLAS – 12 nm – [military sovereignty area]

•24 nm – [say on sanitation, customs, phyto-sanitary, customs]

•1995-96 Taiwan Straits 台灣海峽飛彈危機

•2001 EP-3 Incident EP3偵察機擦撞事件

•November 2002 Declaration on South China Sea 南海宣言

•2003 Islands Lease 租借島嶼

•2009 USS Impeccable Incident; 2013 USS Cowpens

•Disputes Diaoyutai/Senkaku; Yeongpyong/Cheonan ;South China Sea

•8 White papers on National Defence

White Papers 2004- “the PLA has been seeking to shift focus from predominantly defensive

position to one of calibrated power projection by strengthening the

capabilities of the PLA Navy and Air Force, to win command of the sea and

air as also to carry out strategic counter-strikes”

2006- the Navy aims at gradual extension of the strategic depth for offshore

defensive operations and enhancing its capabilities in integrated maritime

operations and nuclear counterattacks.

2008 – the PLA Navy has been ... gradually developing its capabilities of

conducting international cooperation in distant waters and countering non-

traditional security threats

2010 - ‘strategic deterrence, counter-attack, distant area operations and

tackling non-traditional security threats

2012 - maintaining constant combat readiness; safeguarding World Peace

and Regional Stability

(C) www.jnu.ac.in/faculty/srikanth

(C) www.jnu.ac.in/faculty/srikanth

Chinese party landing on

Senkaku/Diaoyu, 15 August

2012

(C) www.jnu.ac.in/faculty/srikanth

Japanese party landing on Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands,

19 August 2012 Photograph: Chris Meyers/Reuters

www.jnu.ac.in/faculty/srikanth

Japan Coast Guard detains Chinese fishing boat september 2010

www.jnu.ac.in/faculty/srikanth

Chinese surveillance airplane entering Japanese airspace near the disputed

Senkaku islands shortly after 11 a.m. on Dec.13, 2012, in the first such intrusion.

(C) www.jnu.ac.in/faculty/srikanth

1. South China Sea 3rd largest maritime

trade area, serving China, Japan, South

Korea and the South East Asian

economies - $6trillion

2. Resources

1. Energy - 11bb of oil; 190tcf gas

2. Fisheries – 10% global production

3. Vital energy supply routes

4. More than half of China’s sea lanes (21

out of 39) pass through this region and

account for an estimated 60 percent of

China’s trade.

5. China follows the median line principle in

South China Sea while it argues for

natural extension of continental shelf in

the Yellow Sea

(C) www.jnu.ac.in/faculty/srikanthSLOCs in SC Sea

1/3rd of global trade [half of

its gas and oil)

213b barrels of oil

80% of China’s energy& 90

percent of China’s total trade

80 % of Japan’s energy

75% of South Korean energy

$1t of US trade

Chinese military installation near Mabini Reef inside the Philippines’ EEZ

(C) www.jnu.ac.in/faculty/srikanth

December 2008 dispatch of Chinese ships to Somalia – China’s active role in UNSC

Jin-class SSBN at Sanya Base

Assistance to Madagascar

Relations with African States

Joint Ops with India (since 2003) and Pakistan (since Nov 2005 and March 2007 Peace Mission)

Tsunami relief measures for Sri Lanka, Maldives, Thailand, Indonesia

IORARC Observer in 2001

Harbour construction at Gwadhar, Hambantota, Chittagong (?), Marao (?),

Efforts to Stabilise East China Sea (Security Dialogues and port calls) and South China Sea

Contest with the US-

Oct 2006 Song-class SS Stalking of USS Kittyhawk

March 2009 incident of USS Impeccable

December 2013 USS Cowpens

August 2014 Air force

China’s Pivot towards Indo-Pacific(C

) ww

w.jn

u.a

c.in

/faculty

/srik

an

th

Naval Defence Perimeters Interior Defence Perimeter: From the coast to 60 miles-Deployment of PLANAF, FAC & anti-ship missile units

Middle Defence Perimeter: From the coast to 150 miles till the First Chain of Islands- Deployment of anti-ship aircraft, destroyers & frigates

Exterior Perimeter: Encompasses the First Chain of Islands- Deployment of submarines, medium rage aircraft & surface warships

Second Chain of Islands: Extends to high seas into the Pacific.

(C) w

ww

.jnu

.ac.in

/faculty

/srik

an

th

January 28, 2013 – “no country can expect China to negotiate about its core national interests; neither can they hope that China will tolerate losses to its sovereignty, security and development.”

July 30, 2013- “China will depend on the ocean to prosper and will steadily promote the building of its maritime power …China should forcefully develop high-end and advanced oceanic technologies in order to build China into a maritime power…”

October 3, 2013- Maritime Silk Road speech to Indonesian Senate

May 21, 2014- CICA summit- Asian problems to be solved b Asians

No 525 FFG Type 054

Type 052B DDG on sea trials

No 170 DDG•Xia SSBN (+3 Jin), 1 aircraft carrier; 67 tactical

submarines, 26 destroyers, 53 frigates

•Destroyers:

•Sovremenny-class of destroyers from Russia

•new “Aegis” destroyer joined the South Sea

Fleet, with an advanced radar system, stealth

design, a vertical launch system, and long-

range anti-aircraft missiles

•Luda, Luhai, Luzhou, Luhu, Luyang,

•Submarines

•Types 093 and 094 SSNs and SSBNs

•additional Kilo-class of submarines

•Shang, Yuan, Song, Ming

•Frigates:

•Jiangwei III frigate (export version F-16U) with

Russia gas turbine technology in AL31ST

(QD168), 100mm twin stealth gun

•Jianghu, Jiangkai

•large replenishment ships No.886 and 887 at the

Zhonghua Shipyard

China’s Maritime Strategy in the Asia-

Pacific evolving towards power

projection

To counter US rebalance and gain

supremacy in the power transition

Poses challenges to Freedom of

Navigation – Monroe Doctrine in the

making?

Regional Navies compelled to take sides

Assessment