東シナ海・南シナ海における中国の海洋攻勢の構図

抄録

President Hu Jintao called for China to be a maritime power in November 2012. Since then, China’s maritime offensive has increased in the East & South China Seas. China has made a great effort to renew and develop the military equipment of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) navy and the PLA Rocket Force.

The PLA navy purchased an Aircraft Carrier Varyag from Ukraine and developed two domestic carriers, though it is said that the Chinese aircraft craft carrier battle groups’ capability is still insufficient to defend these carriers. Many of the navies of the western countries have adopted the gas turbine engines for quick departure and navigation, though the PLA navy couldn’t import gas turbine engines for long time, because the western embargo had placed. However, the number of the PLA navy gunboats with the gas turbine engines has increased to 42% in 2022.

The PLA command renamed the Second Artillery Crops the PLA Rocket Force in 2016, and they have proceeded the development of anti-ship ballistic missiles. It is said that their anti-ship ballistic missiles increase accuracy. Professor James R. Holmes predicted that the PLA will develop the 21^st Century Fortress Fleet, and the Chinese anti-ship ballistic missiles will exclude the U. S. Navy from the South China Sea in the future. The shooting range of the Chinese Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles (SLBM) have been short until the beginning of 2000^th, so that China’s strategic submarines with the SLBMs needed long range air cover to defend them. China has made great effort to develop long range attack aircraft with stealth capability. It is said that H20 stealth strategic bombers’ completion is approaching.

Further, China made an effort to integrate four maritime law-enforcement agencies into the China Coast Guard (CCG) in 2013, and China has begun to construct many large patrol vessels. China has developed maritime militia, too. China uses large CCG patrol vessels & maritime militia fishing boats to chase the smaller patrol vessels & fishing boats of ASEAN countries from the South China Sea. If the U. S, navy comes, the PLA navy will face. The completion of the Chinese weaponry development, will invite the Chinese occupation of the South China Sea, and their focus of offensive will shift to the East China Sea. This will be the future agenda for the Japan-U.S. Alliance.