China’s Quest for Strategic Space in the Pacific Islands
In October 2014 the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) held its 17th International Symposium Course, which was attended by 48 international representatives in Beijing, including the author. At this conference, PLA officers employed the Chinese concept “strategic space” in reference to their perceived strategic disadvantage, which they blamed on their containment within the “first island chain.” […]
Central and Eastern Europe in Relation to China’s Strategic Space: The Fizzling Out of a Ten-Year Campaign
During the 1990s and 2000s, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) paid little attention to Eastern European countries that had moved away from socialism.[1] Its foreign policy focused on countries in its immediate neighborhood, Asia, and Western Europe. China was more invested in strengthening relations with Russia and the post-socialist nations within Russia’s sphere of […]
The End of China’s Period of Strategic Opportunity: Limited Opportunities, More Dangers
In the early 2000s, Chinese leaders foresaw a period of strategic opportunity that they believed would enable the country’s rapid development. By the 2010s, however, the benign international environment became more hostile as an increasingly powerful China experienced a rise in tensions with the United States and some of its allies and partners. More importantly, […]
Myanmar and China’s Fluid Frontier
Offering a strategic overview of the relationship between China and Myanmar across history, Ambassador Kelley Currie highlights grey zones, disaggregated sovereignty, fluid frontiers and deeply rooted mutual suspicions as permanent features of China’s southern strategic space’s hinterland in this podcast moderated by Nadège Rolland. Timestamps 2:29: Importance of understanding China’s strategic space 3:20: Burma as […]