China's Calculated Maritime Expansion in the Indo-Pacific

The Chinese Communist Party is strategically expanding its territorial claims in the Indo-Pacific, paralleling Russia's approach in Crimea. Despite international rulings, China continues its military pursuits in the South China Sea, leveraging tactics that avoid direct conflict while pressuring regional stability and U.S. alliances.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is reportedly executing a strategic expansion of its territorial and maritime claims across the Indo-Pacific region, drawing parallels to Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014. The Epoch Times highlighted this during a recent US Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee hearing.

Senator Chris Coons pointed out that successive U.S. administrations have struggled to counter Beijing's tactics, which are designed to remain below the threshold of overt military engagement. This approach includes increasing military pressure on Taiwan and asserting unlawful claims in the South China Sea, hundreds of miles from China's shores.

Despite a 2016 international court decision rejecting China's claims, the CCP continues to fortify artificial islands and deploy military forces in the region, asserting "indisputable sovereignty." Data shows that Chinese vessels are involved in the majority of incidents in the South China Sea, indicating a deliberate strategy to undermine regional resistance without provoking a direct confrontation.

(With inputs from agencies.)