Over the past year, China's leadership has indicated that it is intent upon pushing maritime development. In a recent study session involving the top Chinese leadership, Chinese leader Xi Jinping emphasized the importance of the sea for China's economic development and national security, and reiterated the need to make China a "strong maritime nation."[1] This appears to be part of his "China dream."Beijing's decision to build a navy is a natural outgrowth of China's dependence on the sea for resources and trade. But China is also party to disputes with virtually all of its maritime neighbors, including formal U.S. allies Japan and the Philippines, as well as Taiwan, which holds carefully constructed American security guarantees. And China's construction of an anti-access/area denial system directly challenges American interests in the region.China's Strategic InterestsChina's reliance on the sea has grown steadily as it has become a global trading power. Much of China's imports and exports are seaborne, as over 85 percent of its trade relies on the sea. Moreover, China also relies on the oceans to feed its population, and increasingly, as with the purchase of Nexen Corporation, to power its industry (through offshore oil drilling).The territory at stake is vast. The 1992 PRC Law on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone states:The territorial sea of the People's Republic of China is the sea belt adjacent to the land territory and the internal waters of the People's Republic of China. The land territory of the People's Republic of China includes the mainland of the People's Republic of China and its coastal islands; Taiwan and all islands appertaining thereto including the Diaoyu Islands; the Penghu Islands; the Dongsha Islands [Pratas]; the Xisha Islands [Paracels]; the Zhongsha Islands [Macclesfield Bank] and the Nansha Islands [Spratlys]; as well as all the other islands belonging to the People's Republic of China.The waters on the landward side of the baselines of the territorial sea of the People's Republic of China constitute the internal waters of the People's Republic of China.This set of claims is far more expansive than allowed under the United Nations Law of the Sea Treaty that China is party to, but it would appear clear that Beijing considers its claims to trump those allowed under the treaty, as evidenced by its refusal to submit its disputes with the Philippines to arbitration, which is required by the treaty.China Military The Chinese Navy force second to USA Fleet ranks number 2 in the world ? ,more information about military and international relationship trends subscribe and browse channal at http://youtube.com/user/videofilmfiles

• published: 30 Dec 2013
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