Publication

Sep 2012

This essay discusses China’s coordinated campaign of coercive diplomacy in the South China Sea. China decided to build a military garrison with little operational utility in the city of Sansha, with the apparent goal of consolidating control over disputed islands and increasing its regional influence. The author argues that this decision fundamentally challenges two key aspects of the conventional wisdom in Washington about China’s South China Sea strategy: that China’s assertive behavior results from actions taken by the civilian and military agencies independently of the central government and that China has been moderating its policies toward the South China Sea since 2009.

Download English (PDF, 6 pages, 2.0 MB)
Author Oriana Skylar Mastro
Series CNAS Flashpoints Bulletin
Issue 5
Publisher Center for a New American Security (CNAS)
Copyright © 2012 Center for a New American Security (CNAS)
JavaScript has been disabled in your browser