The Two Words that Explain China’s Assertive Naval Strategy

"Active defense" was a favorite tactic of Mao Zedong. How will China use it to harry U.S. ships in the Pacific?

BY JIM HOLMES-JUNE 3, 2015

The just-completed Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore dwelt largely on China’s maritime ambitions, zeroing in on its construction of artificial islands in the South China Sea. In his keynote address, U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter vowed to “continue to protect freedom of navigation and overflight principles that have ensured security and prosperity in this region for decades.” There should be no mistake, continued Carter, that “the United States will fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows, as U.S. forces do all over the world.” The United States, its allies, and its partners will exercise “the rights of all nations” to their fullest, he said. That the U.S. secretary of defense traveled to the far side of the world to speak so bluntly shows how seriously Washington takes the China challenge.

The Two Words that Explain China’s Assertive Naval Strategy.odt by Thavam Ratna