"China’s plan for conquest of the South Pacific" Topic

"China's militarization of South China Sea features allows its fighters to reach deep into the South Pacific, jeopardizing US bases while advancing Beijing's 'neo-colonial' ambitions

Beijing's militarization of islands and features it claims in the South China Sea is by now widely seen as a threat to freedom of navigation in one of the world's most strategically important waterways.

What's gone less noticed, however, is how Beijing could use those emerging forward bases to project power into the South Pacific, where critics say Beijing harbors "neo-colonial" ambitions and the United States maintains crucial naval and air force bases on Guam.

A Pentagon report released last month that said China was likely training for air strikes against US and allied targets will have brought China's emerging power projection capabilities into the Pacific into stark and urgent relief among policymakers in Washington…."

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Amicalement
Armand

Not a new sheriff here…? (smile)

Amicalement
Armand

The artificial island bases are vulnerable and can be destroyed easily.

What you desire to do and what you can do are most often very different. China is historically a land power. Becoming a seapower takes time and more often than not does not happen. China is playing on our turf now. Let them try.

They've got tons of money, and are throwing it around all over the place, so I wouldn't be surprised if they buy access to a lot of other islands, bases, countries around the globe, as they spread their tentacles seaward.

Apparently, Australia and New Zealand are very concerned, among others.

Yes, but there is a lot of institutional knowledge that the US (and others) have that the Chinese don't.

Even if the Chinese learn 4x faster than the US has, they'd be ~25 years away from US carrier operations.

Also, that institutional knowledge usually comes at the expense of lives. So I'm expecting the Chinese to lose a lot of lives in the process.

Who needs carriers when you can buy/lease/build island-based airstrips?

The logistics to support those is quite low, relative to naval vessels, once they are built, and they are hard to permanently eliminate.

The Chinese seem to be extending their global reach rather quickly.

IIRC, they've put in a bid to build a new airstrip in Greenland or Iceland, and they've discussed leasing access to one of the other islands/island groups in the mid-Atlantic, among other places.

They've also built, or are building military/air/naval bases in and around the Indian Ocean, too.

Agree!.

Amicalement
Armand

It's easier to permanently destroy an island airstrip than you think. Does require all the gloves to come off, though.

*ka-NUKE*