The Malacca Dilemma

<p>China is strengthening diplomatic ties and building naval bases along the sea lanes from the Middle East. This String of Pearls strategy is designed to protect its energy security negate US influence in the region and project power overseas. China is rapidly building a blue-water navy developing advanced missile technology and stockpiling undersea mines to counter US Navy capabilities especially in the event of a conflict over Taiwan. To counter China's growing naval power the United States can exploit a critical vulnerability-China's dependence on sea lines of communication. Eighty percent of China's oil imports pass through the Strait of Malacca; the Chinese leadership calls this strategic weakness the Malacca Dilemma. In conjunction with naval forces land-based airpower offers a promising way to control key maritime chokepoints and trade routes. Land-based airpower proved a decisive maritime force in the war against Japanese shipping during World War II. China like Japan at the start of WWII is a rising Asiatic power with similar resource aspirations. Historical evidence suggests land-based airpower can control the littorals and cut China's String of Pearls.</p><p>This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore you will see the original copyright references library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world) and other notations in the work.</p><p>This work is in the public domain in the United States of America and possibly other nations. Within the United States you may freely copy and distribute this work as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.</p><p>As a reproduction of a historical artifact this work may contain missing or blurred pages poor pictures errant marks etc. Scholars believe and we concur that this work is important enough to be preserved reproduced and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.</p><br>