ABSTRACT

In 1970s, China laid the foundations for its growth as a maritime power. The navy abandoned its limited coastal defense mentality and began preparations to play an active role in the strategic balance in the Pacific theater. China's maritime strategic interests were intertwined with its maritime economic interests. Offshore oil on the vast continental shelf promised to provide much of the energy and capital for China's economic development well into the twenty-first century. The provision to China of US naval hardware, particularly weapon systems and associated sensors, would be an area of greater promise, but such a program would also have to be undertaken well before the start of hostilities to be fully effective. China avoids depending upon its own weak spots: amphibious assault forces and long-range aircraft. The exigencies of a Sino-Soviet-US war would tend to submerge many political issues, but disagreements could prove insurmountable in peacetime.