China's Vision of Its Seascape: The First Island Chain and Chinese Seapower

Abstract

This article examines the lively Chinese discourse about Beijing's maritime geography. In particular, the debates over the so‐called first island chain, which stretches from the Japanese archipelago through Taiwan to the Philippines, offer a unique window onto Chinese geostrategic thought. This article relies on an extensive open‐source literature in China to discern the contours of this debate. It finds that the first island chain construct resonates deeply with analysts on the mainland. The island chain idea stimulates China's fears of strategic encirclement, underscores the geostrategic value of Taiwan, frames Chinese military options at sea, and engages important economic interests. As such, this geostrategic dimension of China's maritime rise will likely continue to drive Beijing's naval activism in East Asian waters, with lasting implications for regional stability.