China's military again aims to divide 'vast Pacific Ocean' with US

 

"The vast Pacific Ocean has enough space for the two large countries." -  China's military again aims to divide 'vast Pacific Ocean' with US

This week  analyzes what the recent incident involving Chinese and Japanese fighter jets means in a geopolitical context. On Dec. 6, J-15 aircraft from the Chinese carrier Liaoning intermittently locked radar on Japanese F-15 fighter jets. The incident is believed to be part of Beijing's intimidation tactics related to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remark on a possible Taiwan contingency.

The encounter happened shortly after the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump announced its new National Security Strategy, which prioritizes the Western Hemisphere as America's sphere of influence. The Chinese military likely thought that the new strategy could create room for it to expand its theater of action in the east.

In 2013, Chinese leader Xi Jinping told then-U.S. President Barack Obama, "The vast Pacific Ocean has enough space for the two large countries." Depending on the Trump administration's reaction to recent military maneuvering in the western part of the Pacific, China's ambition to divide the ocean with the U.S. may reignite.