The geopolitical Roots of China’s naval modernisation

MacHaffie, James

doi:10.1080/18366503.2020.1726260

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…In this context, the navies represented a crucial tool for oceanic nations to safeguard their commerce. To become credited maritime powers, states had to be situated on or close to the sea, possess a network of commercial harbors, and enjoy a wide territorial and colonial extension (MacHaffie, 2020: 2). At the same time, to be a successful maritime power, a nation was affected by its demographic growth, its national character, and its form of government (Mahan, 1890: 61–75).…”

Section: Mahan Vs Tirpitz: Theories Of Sea Power Projection For Marit...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The archipelagic line that connects Japan to the Philippines and Indonesia is commonly called the ‘first island chain’ (Chieh-Cheng Huang, 1994) – the second being the chain that connects the Aleutian Islands with New Guinea and eastern Australia. The PLAN views the first island chain as a potential tool from which the US and its allies could encircle China (MacHaffie, 2020: 4). In this regard, the PLAN's chief strategic goals are to ensure the control of Taiwan, safeguard its sea lines of communication, ward its strategic depth, and deter attacks (Tayloe, 2017: 5).…”

Section: Admiral Tirpitz's Legacy: Tracking the Modes Of Chinese Cont...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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The legacy of Admiral von Tirpitz: a geopolitical understanding of China's naval buildup through sea-denial strategies

Pizzolo

2021

Riv. ital. sci. polit.

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As manifest challenger of the United States (US)-led international order, the People's Republic of China (PRC) has inaugurated a revisionist strategy that encompasses a multifaceted spectrum of initiatives, including an ambitious naval military build-up. History has shown that revisionist and challenging powers tend to defy the established order through arm races. US Admiral Mahan and German Admiral Tirpitz theorized two different approaches to naval strategy, the former focusing on global maritime hegemony and the latter on regional counterbalance based on risk theory. This article attempts at explaining the puzzle of China's naval buildup through the lenses of geopolitics, adding a geopolitical dimension to the current debate. It suggests that the PRC's naval military development does not follow a Mahanian global maritime strategy aimed at challenging the US primacy worldwide, but rather a Tirpitzian regional approach focused on counterbalancing the US presence within the scope of China's sea power projection, that is, the Pacific region. To substantiate this hypothesis, the study compares diachronically contemporary Chinese naval arm race with Wilhelmine Germany's High Seas Fleet. The findings underscore that, in maritime terms, China's revisionism vis-à-vis the US somewhat resembles that of Imperial Germany vis-à-vis Imperial Britain, both aiming at regional counterbalance and anti-access and area-denial (A2/AD) tactics rather than global maritime counterhegemony. Although Chinese sea power is still far from posing a serious threat to that of the US and its allies, an unrestrained continuation of Beijing's naval buildup could encourage arms races and direct confrontation due to regional security dilemmas.

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Section: Mahan Vs Tirpitz: Theories Of Sea Power Projection For Marit...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Admiral Tirpitz's Legacy: Tracking the Modes Of Chinese Cont...mentioning

confidence: 99%