THE RETURN OF UNITED STATES (US) POLICY OF CONTAINMENT ANDEVOLVING SINO-US CONTEST FOR MARITIME SUPREMACY
Main Article Content
Abstract
Maritime affairs, strategy, gunboat diplomacy, naval policy, and maritime policy can be found in the lexicon and available literature on naval affairs. Contrary to the abovementioned terminologies used by notable experts in the field including Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan authors have used the term “maritime/naval foreign policy.” Deliberate use of the term is aimed to compel people to pay attention and widely use it in the literature. The qualitative research method is deemed appropriate for the completion of this study. The hypothesis formulated in this paper is that naval might cannot be viewed alone as a means to achieve political, military, territorial, and economic objectives. This academic study emphasizes major powers' navies are intrinsically superior to indigenous organs commanding seas and have foreign policies. The paper emphasizes that navies of hegemonic powers enjoy autonomy and influence decision-making processes and outcomes at home and abroad. The primary purpose of navies is to grow parasitically on state resources, build maritime empires outside the sphere of influence of political leadership, civilian bureaucracy, and rival armed forces, and often avoid providing information or if necessary, provide information on a need-to-know basis to the ruling political elite based in the center. This study emphasizes the United States (US) desire to remain a preponderant power, preserve status-quo and prevent threats to liberal international order by containing the People's Republic of China (PRC) through the formation of mini-alliances resulting in PRC’s naval foreign policy. Beijing’s naval foreign policy core objective is to enter distant areas and secure the supply of energy shipments to the mainland by securing sea lanes of communications (SLCs). The enthusiastic policy is backed by deployments of aircraft carriers, amphibious naval forces, and the Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ).
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
References
Ali, I. (2019, March 25). U.S. Navy, Coast Guard ships pass through strategic Taiwan Strait. Retrieved July 26, 2022, from Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-taiwan-military/u-s-navy-coast-guard-ships-pass-through-strategic-taiwan-strait-idUSKCN1R50ZB
Allison, G. T. (2017). Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides's Trap? Boston & New York: Houghton Mifelin Harcourt.
AUKUS: Is An Arms Race with China the Price of ‘Global Britain’? (2021, September 16). Retrieved July 22, 2022, from The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/aukus-is-an-arms-race-with-china-the-price-of-global-britain-168107
Blinken Says China is Greater Long-Term Threat than Russia. (2022, May 26). Retrieved August 11, 2022, from CBS News: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/blinken-says-china-is-greater-long-term-threat-than-russia/
Bo, H., Yanpei, Z., & Till, G. (2020). Chinese Maritime Power in the 21st Century Strategic Planning, Policy and Predictions. New York: Routledge.
Borger, J. (2021, November 19). Work on ‘Chinese Military Base’ in UAE Abandoned After US Intervenes – Report. Retrieved December 3, 2022, from The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/19/chinese-military-base-uae-construction-abandoned-us-intelligence-report
Brimelow, B. (2020, October 6). How Navy Aircraft Carriers Have Projected US Military Might All Over the World For 86 Years. Retrieved September 11, 2022, from Business Insider: https://www.businessinsider.com/history-of-us-navy-aircraft-carriers-supercarriers-to-ford-class-2020-10
Chaziza, M. (2020). China and the Persian Gulf: The New Silk Road Strategy and Emerging Partnerships. Eastbourne: Sussex Academic Press.
China Accuses ‘Dangerous’ US of ‘Creating Chaos’ in Asia. (2020, November 24). Retrieved July 25, 2020, from Al Jazeera: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/11/24/china-condemns-dangerous-us-over-its-policies-in-asia
China Bomber Makes Debut Landing on South China Sea Island. (2018, May 19). Retrieved August 3, 2022, from Al Jazeera: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/5/19/china-bomber-makes-debut-landing-on-south-china-sea-island
China Criticizes US as Tensions Rise in South Pacific. (2022, May 27). Retrieved May 28, 2022, from Associated Press: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-biden-foreign-policy-antony-blinken-eed7c0b393ad18d4278291b8638f0e7d
China Launches Third Aircraft Carrier, the Fujian. (2022, June 17). Retrieved July 23, 2022, from Al Jazeera: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/6/17/china-launches-third-aircraft-carrier-the-fujian
China’s National Defense in the New Era. (2019, July). Retrieved August 13, 2022, from https://www.andrewerickson.com/2019/07/full-text-of-defense-white-paper-chinas-national-defense-in-the-new-era-english-chinese-versions/
China’s Next Aircraft Carrier Likely Nuclear Powered, Says Report. (2021, March 13). Retrieved August 13, 2022, from Al Jazeera: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/13/chinas-next-aircraft-carrier-could-be-nuclear-powered-report
Chubb, A. (2019, January 29). Xi Jinping and China’s Maritime Policy. Retrieved August 14, 2022, from Brookings: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/xi-jinping-and-chinas-maritime-policy/
Cuban Missile Crisis. (n.d.). Retrieved July 27, 2022, from Naval History and Heritage Command: https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/wars-conflicts-and-operations/cuban-missile.html
Dahm, M. (2023, January). Lessons from the Changing Geometry of PLA Navy Carrier Ops. Proceedings, 149(1). Retrieved January 31, 2023, from U.S. Naval Institute: https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2023/january/lessons-changing-geometry-pla-navy-carrier-ops
Defense Planning Guidance. (1992, April 16). Retrieved August 13, 2022, from Archives.gov: https://www.archives.gov/files/declassification/iscap/pdf/2008-003-docs1-12.pdf
Gatopoulos, A. (2020, June 18). Project Force: What is Behind China’s Naval Ambitions? Retrieved July 22, 2022, from Al Jazeera: https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2020/6/18/project-force-what-is-behind-chinas-naval-ambitions
Grady, J. (2020, July 14). State Dept. Official: U.S. Will Oppose Chinese ‘Gangster Tactics’ in South China Sea; U.S. Warship Conducts Freedom of Navigation Operation. Retrieved July 12, 2022, from USNI News: https://news.usni.org/2020/07/14/state-dept-official-u-s-will-oppose-chinese-gangster-tactics-in-south-china-sea-u-s-warship-conducts-freedom-of-navigation-operation
Grady, J. (2022, August 18). China’s Navy Could Have 5 Aircraft Carriers, 10 Ballistic Missile Subs by 2030 Says CSBA Report. Retrieved August 19, 2022, from USNI News: https://news.usni.org/2022/08/18/chinas-navy-could-have-5-aircraft-carriers-10-ballistic-missile-subs-by-2030-says-csba-report
Inagaki, K., Fildes, N., & Sevastopulo, D. (2022, July 3). China’s Rise Pushes Asia-Pacific Nations to Embrace NATO. Retrieved August 3, 2022, from Financial Times: https://www.ft.com/content/497f116b-4c03-4d19-a5b1-da4490c183bb
katzman, K., & Thomas, C. (2017). Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security and U.S. Policy. Congressional Research Service. Retrieved August 13, 2022, from https://sgp.fas.org/crs/row/RL30588.pdf
Lamothe, D. (2016, March 16). These Are the Bases the U.S. will Use Near the South China Sea. China isn’t Impressed. Retrieved December 3, 2022, from The Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2016/03/21/these-are-the-new-u-s-military-bases-near-the-south-china-sea-china-isnt-impressed/
Lin, B., Blanchette, J., Bermudez Jr., J. S., & Dizolele, M. P. (2021, December 20). Is China Building a New String of Pearls in the Atlantic Ocean? Retrieved December 6, 2022, from Center for Strategic & International Studies: https://www.csis.org/analysis/china-building-new-string-pearls-atlantic-ocean
Lin, Y. Y. (2019, January 30). Changes in China’s Coast Guard. Retrieved August 14, 2022, from The Diplomat: https://thediplomat.com/2019/01/changes-in-chinas-coast-guard/
Lubold, G., & Strobel, W. P. (2021, November 19). Secret Chinese Port Project in Persian Gulf Rattles U.S. Relations With U.A.E. Retrieved December 3, 2022, from The Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com/articles/us-china-uae-military-11637274224
Mearsheimer, J. J. (2001). The Tragedy of Great Power Politics. New York & London: W. W. Norton & Company.
Mearsheimer, J. J. (2013, December 18). Harper Lecture with John J. Mearsheimer: Can China Rise Peacefully? Retrieved August 12, 2022, from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DMn4PmiDeQ&t=568s
Meierding, E. (2020). The Oil Wars Myth: Petroleum and the Causes of International Conflict. New York: Cornell University Press.
(2020). Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2020. Office of the Secretary of Defense. Department of Defense. Retrieved September 2, 2022, from https://media.defense.gov/2020/Sep/01/2002488689/-1/-1/1/2020-DOD-CHINA-MILITARY-POWER-REPORT-FINAL.PDF
Monroe Doctrine (1823). (n.d.). Retrieved August 12, 2022, from National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/monroe-doctrine
Nakashima, E., & Cadell, C. (2022, June 6). China secretly building naval facility in Cambodia, Western officials say. Retrieved December 3, 2022, from The Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/06/06/cambodia-china-navy-base-ream/
National Security Strategy. (2022, October 12). Retrieved October 13, 2022, from Whitehouse.gov: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Biden-Harris-Administrations-National-Security-Strategy-10.2022.pdf
NATO Says China is A Threat. But Do All its Members Agree? (2021, June 21). Retrieved December 1, 2022, from TRT World: https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/nato-says-china-is-a-threat-but-do-all-its-members-agree-47577
Peri, D. (2022, January 28). Philippines Inks Deal Worth $375 Million for BrahMos Missiles. Retrieved December 1, 2022, from https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/philippines-inks-deal-worth-375-million-for-brahmos-missiles/article38338340.ece
Phillips, M. M. (2021, December 5). China Seeks First Military Base on Africa’s Atlantic Coast, U.S. Intelligence Finds. Retrieved September 3, 2022, from The Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-seeks-first-military-base-on-africas-atlantic-coast-u-s-intelligence-finds-11638726327
Pickrell, R. (2021, April 21). China's Overseas Naval Base is Now Big Enough For Its Aircraft Carriers, A Top US Commander Says. Retrieved August 14, 2022, from Business Insider: https://www.businessinsider.com/chinas-overseas-base-big-enough-for-aircraft-carriers-us-commander-2021-4
Pompeo, M. R. (2019, October 19). Secretary Michael R. Pompeo At the Heritage Foundation President’s Club Meeting: “Trump Administration Diplomacy: The Untold Story”. Retrieved July 26, 2022, from U.S. Department of State: https://2017-2021-translations.state.gov/2019/10/22/secretary-michael-r-pompeo-at-the-heritage-foundation-presidents-club-meeting-trump-administration-diplomacy-the-untold-story/index.html
Quad a "Deliberate Move" to Contain China, Stoke Confrontation, says Beijing. (2022, February 11). Retrieved August 7, 2022, from The Economic Times: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/quad-a-deliberate-move-to-contain-china-stoke-confrontation-says-beijing/articleshow/89503250.cms?from=mdr
Rasheed, Z. (2020, November 25). What is the Quad and Can It Counter China’s Rise? Retrieved August 17, 2022, from Al Jazeera: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/11/25/what-is-the-quad-can-us-india-japan-and-australia-deter-china
Sharma, A. (2022, November 5). Will Indonesia Become Second Country After Philippines to Buy India’s BrahMos Missile? Retrieved December 3, 2022, from Indian Narrative: https://www.indianarrative.com/world-news/will-indonesia-become-second-country-after-philippines-to-buy-indias-brahmos-missile-68690.html
Siebens, J. (2020, December 24). Counter-Coercion: How to Use the Military to Avoid War with China. Retrieved May 20, 2022, from The National Interest: https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/counter-coercion-how-use-military-avoid-war-china-175131?amp
Sofuoglu, M. (2021, December 6). Why China's Reported Military Plans in Equatorial Guinea Worry the US. Retrieved December 7, 2022, from TRT World: https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/why-china-s-reported-military-plans-in-equatorial-guinea-worry-the-us-52371
(2022). Somalia: Extremism and Terrorism. Counter Extremism Project. Retrieved from https://www.counterextremism.com/countries/somalia-extremism-and-terrorism/report
Spykman, N. J. (1942). America's Strategy in World Politics: The United States and the Balance of Power. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, INC.
Statler, K. C. (2007). Replacing France: The Origins of American Intervention in Vietnam. Lexington: The University Press of Kentucky.
Stewart, R. W. (2015). The United States Army in Somalia, 1992-1994. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
Sutton, H. I. (2019, December 3). Power Projection: China’s Fourth Aircraft Carrier. Retrieved August 13, 2022, from Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/hisutton/2019/12/03/super-power-projection-work-to-start-on-chinas-4th-aircraft-carrier/?sh=20d56f525d38
Thompson, W., & Nalty, B. C. (1996). Within Limits: The U.S. Air Force and the Korean War. Air Force History and Museums Program.
Trent, M. (2020). Over the Line: The Implications of China's AIDZ Intrusion in Northeast Asia. Washington, D.C.: Federation of American Scientists. Retrieved from https://uploads.fas.org/2020/08/ADIZ-Report.pdf
US Coerces others to Prevent Chinese Warships' Presence: Global Times Editorial. (2021, December 6). Retrieved December 1, 2022, from Global Times: https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202112/1240826.shtml
Vandiver, J. (2021, April 21). China's Base in Africa Now Big Enough to Host Aircraft Carriers, AFRICOM Boss Says. Retrieved December 1, 2022, from Stars and Stripes: https://www.stripes.com/theaters/africa/china-s-base-in-africa-now-big-enough-to-host-aircraft-carriers-africom-boss-says-1.670578?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+starsandstripes%2Fgeneral+%28Stars+and+Stripes%29/
Vine, D. (2020). The United States of War: A Global History of America's Endless. Oakland: University of California Press.
Why is the US Worried About Possible Chinese Military Base in Equatorial Guinea? (2021, December 6). Retrieved November 13, 2022, from The Week: https://www.theweek.in/news/world/2021/12/06/why-is-us-worried-about-possible-chinese-military-base-in-equatorial-guinea.html
Wilson, K., & Weiwei, X. (2022, June 6). Wang Yi’s Pacific Islands Tour Boosts Regional Development. Retrieved August 14, 2022, from China Daily: https://asianews.network/wang-yis-pacific-islands-tour-boosts-regional-development/
Woody, C. (2022, June 27). The US and Its Allies Are Scrambling to Respond to China's Intensifying Moves in the Heart of the Pacific. Retrieved July 4, 2022, from Business Insider: https://www.businessinsider.com/us-allies-seeking-to-counter-chinese-influence-in-pacific-islands-2022-6
Woody, C. (2022, June 6). The US Military is Watching China's Presence Grow in Latin America, and It Doesn't Like Where Things Are Going. Retrieved December 1, 2022, from Businessinsider: https://www.businessinsider.com/defense-officials-worried-about-chinese-military-presence-in-latin-america-2022-6
Zhou, L. (2022, July 16). Chinese Foreign Minister Criticises US ‘Meddling’ in Middle East as Joe Biden Continues Tour of Region. Retrieved July 18, 2022, from South China Morning Post: https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3185539/chinese-foreign-minister-criticises-us-meddling-middle-east