Since the era of Mao Zedong, China has adhered to the Zhou Dynasty military strategist Sun Tzu’s counsel: “subdue the enemy without any battle” by exploiting its weaknesses and camouflaging offense as defense. “All warfare,” Sun famously said, “is based on deception.”
The first, long forgotten, act had been the 1950’s encroachment in the Himalayas
Until 2006, China behaved as a good neighborhood. Then it started asserting claims on the Arunachal Pradesh (Indian territory, pretty remote and resource rich)
Last year, 2012, China effectively took control of the Scarborough Shoal, an area of the South China Sea that is also claimed by the Philippines and Taiwan. Philippines has now to accept a de facto conquest or go to war.
Now all attention is on the Senkaku Island for Japan (Diaoyu Island for China) and the Air Defence Zone. Again China is aiming at a “de facto” conquest.
Again in 2013 (bet you did not hear about this) China started ratcheting up pressure on India – on 15 April a Chinese platoon invaded (YES!) the Arunachal Pradesh erecting a camp 20 kilometers inside Indian territory – retrieved only after three weeks of talks. Since then the LAC (Line of Actual Control….a defensive line between the 2 countries) is actually seeing a gradual build up of military deployment.
Just in the last month:
Tension with Vietnam are also rising in the South China Sea with the US approving a USD33 million package to the Vietnamese Navy.
South Korea just extended its Air Defence Zone to overlap the Chinese one and a US Battle Cruiser, USS Cowpens, almost collided with a Chinese navy vessel.
China has also started a series of dams to deviate river flows to increase pressure on the neighbors.
This seem to be a steady pattern for China – a full diplomacy intervention is needed before something will happen for real.
And considering that the region holds 50% of trades and 70% of electronic hardware, even a limited conflict would have huge repercussions.
investorpolitico 