This piece from Dr Alf is about China’s attempt to protect itself from a strategy developed by the Pentagon called Air Sea Battle.
The strategy envisages an attack on Southern China by sea plus the blocking of Chinese shipping at various choke points including the Straits of Malacca. The Indian Navy is party to the choke point strategy and has gone on maneuvers
English: Logo of the People’s Daily 中文: 人民日报题字 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
with the Vietnamese.
China’s checkmate strategy to Air Sea Battle is to militarize the South China Sea and to develop the Belt and Road project which will see goods moved by rail and road.
It is also to work with the Russians to develop technology capable of blocking communications between American ships and to develop super cavitation submarines which are fully cloaked ,can reach speeds of 100 knots and can appear in the middle of battle carrier groups without warning.
America likes to say that it is asserting freedom of navigation but in reality it is about the freedom to exercise Air Sea Battle in time of crisis.
The Chinese are not fools and have developed the South China Sea as a countermeasure.
What we would do in their position is unlikely to be different so there is a need for dialogue and strategic thinking of which Donald Trump may not be capable.
A sensible approach might be for India to support the Belt and Road Project,America to tone down its encirclement policies a bit and China to not build nuclear reactors on artificial islands in the South China Sea.
Dr Alf's Blog 