What Are China's Military Goals?

Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning

Esquire: What Are China's Military Ambitions?

Keep an eye on the Horn of Africa.

Russia, we noted last month, is boxed in by the tyranny of hydrography. They really have no way to get out onto the surface of the deep blue sea that is not constrained by land, ice, or NATO. China, on the other hand, does have a long oceanic and ice-free coastline. But for similar reasons, has a bit of a problem, ocean-wise.

The problem for the Chinese is less one of immediate access, and more one of ultimate freedom. In particular, even once they reach the open ocean, they are effectively isolated to some degree. This is because in order to reach the natural resources and markets that have so dramatically expanded Chinese economic fortunes, a gigantic proportion of their shipping must pass through one of two straits well beyond their territorial waters. The Sunda and Malacca Straits, in particular, are nightmares for Chinese strategists; yet they must use them to get to Middle Eastern oil, fishing grounds on the coastlines of Africa (their own are nearly fished out), and the resources of the interior of Africa, to say nothing of the markets in all of those places as well as Europe.

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WNU editor: China has always been clear on its goals .... to be the political/military/economic super-power of Asia (by 2050). To be the world's super-power by 2100 (or sooner).