In 2012, China claimed that it was forced to “regularize” its Coast Guard’s patrol surrounding the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands because the Japanese government purchased three of the features from a private owner. After ten year in 2022, China again announced to “regularize” its military activities beyond the median line of the Taiwan Strait as its sovereignty was allegedly challenged by the island visit paid by Nancy Pelosi, the U.S. Speaker of the House. By making whatever excuses, Chinese aggressive behaviors over the East Asian waters have been transforming the security environment of the Indo-Pacific at a rapid speed. Then, what does China want to achieve in the end? How far is it going?

This talk will first analyze a historical trend of China’s domestic administration system regarding the sea. Secondly, it will focus on the new developments led by Xi Jinping, topped by the construction of the Spatial Infrastructure that utilizes its satellite network and extends also to the undersea. At the end, it will call for attention to the new application technologies China has been inventing, partially to win the hearts of the Global South with economic benefits, but more importantly to improve its own Maritime Domain Awareness worldwide.

Welcome!