Global power shift, geography, and maritime east asia

Abstract

Tunsjø examine the tension and rivalry that erupts in maritime East Asia as a result of China’s rising power and its sea power ambitions. A secure and dominating China on the Asia mainland is expanding into its nearby seas seeking to safeguard sovereignty, resources, and security claims. The geopolitical development of China going to the seas can hardly be reversed as China grows more powerful. At the same time, it is natural for China’s neighbors and the U.S. to be alarmed by this geopolitical shift and seek to counter China’s ambitions. As a result, rivalry intensifies, the U.S. led international order at sea is challenged, and the risk of conflict and even war increases.