The US-China Maritime Competition in East Asia: Implications for the Economic Security of the Region

Abstract

Sea blindness has been a dominant feature of the realm of foreign policy and security studies for the last few decades. However, with the intensification of East-West competition and global trade's reliance on oceanic waters, major powers have turned their attention to the maritimedomain, since maritime power is required to execute offshore military capabilities and to ensure the sustenance of economies. East Asia region is home to a huge body of oceanic waters where theUS and China are engaged in intense maritime competition. The US ‘offshore rebalancing’ strategy in East Asia revolves around maritime domain. The US seeks to contain China, freeze thestatus quo, ensure its policing role and freely movement in the oceanic waters of the region and to preserve its vital and major interests. China has launched counter rebalancing strategy where it is striving to control maximum part of the waters, pushback the US from the region, ensure its dominancy, and to gain access to maximum of the oceanic resources. Military assistance, financialassistance, and diplomatic support are all part of the US's actions, as are freedom of navigation operations. On the contrary, China is modernizing PLA Navy, building artificial islands, exploiting oceanic resources and pressurizing regional states, through its assertive behavior, to follow its lead. The intensification of maritime competition has pressed states to increase their defense spendingwhich would result in the reduction of GDP. Moreover, maritime competition canlead to military adventurism in the oceanic waters of the region which is likely to result in economic disaster for the regional economies and the world trade