- Written by a couple of cool folks named Chen Yun and Esme Yeh, a pair of staff reporters.
Escalating Beyond Conventional Warfare, PLA Employs 'Gray Area' Strategies in Island Chain Region
China's unsettling naval exercises surrounding the first island chain aren't just about flaunting raw power and territorial control, but also about muddying sovereignty lines through the mainstreaming of "gray zone" warfare, with an eye on future occupation, according to a national security official.
Over the past month, China has been pulling out all the stops in the region. They've been deploying 50 to 70 naval or government vessels daily across the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, South China Sea, Taiwan Strait - all to exert maximum pressure, the official revealed under the veil of anonymity.
Backing up these naval operations, they've been engaging in nerve-wracking air maneuvers, sending hundreds of warplanes to harass neighboring nations, they continued.
Peeping Tomming at its finest, Chinese helicopters have been flying into the Diaoyutai Islands aka Senkaku Islands in Japan, and the air defense identification zone around South Korea's Ieodo Island. Simultaneously, they've been sending their vessels into the territorial waters of multiple nations, the official added.
"Gray zone" incursions are still going strong, while regular combat readiness patrols and military drills have been conducted from May 1 to Tuesday last week, the official revealed.
May 11 saw the release of a white paper titled China's National Security in the New Era, which put the spotlight on state power, "national unification," and territorial integrity as core national interests, the official said.
In the wake of this announcement, a series of synchronised military maneuvers were launched to squeeze Taiwan, particularly on May 11, May 18, and Friday last week, the official added.
On May 16, the Chinese People's Liberation Army's (PLA) Eastern Theater Command slipped through the Miyako Strait to conduct long-distance air and naval drills.
On May 20, the PLA's 73rd Group Army carried out an amphibious landing exercise in waters southeast of China's Fujian Province.
Not to be outdone, the aircraft carrier Liaoning led a naval squadron through the Miyako Strait into the East China Sea on May 25 and Monday last week, during which the PLA Air Force conducted its first carrier-based takeoff and landing operations in that sea. They added that another aircraft carrier, the Fujian, completed its eighth sea trial earlier last month.
The 73rd Group Army of the PLA Army Ground Force also conducted an amphibious landing exercise in waters southeast of China's Fujian Province on May 20.
Besides beefing up their military drills, China has been upping its "gray zone" incursions.
Over the past month, Coast Guard vessels have been regularly intruding into Taiwan's territorial waters, and on May 19, more than 40 unauthorized fishing vessels ventured into waters southwest of Penghu County, despite China's fishing moratorium.
These incursions aren't just a nuisance to Taiwan's maritime security, they also hint at a broader "gray zone" strategy - using civilian fishers to divert attention from the presence of Coast Guard vessels and justify their law enforcement operations.
Questionable incidents on May 15, 16, 20, and 23 also suggest this approach. During these instances, Chinese nationals made their way into Taiwan using rubber boats or by swimming, possibly probing Taiwan's coastal defense capabilities, they added.
Given the physical impossibility of crossing the Taiwan Strait by rubber boat or swimming, these individuals were likely transported by a larger vessel to a closer location before making the final leg of their journey, the official said.
Through the crafty use of Coast Guard vessels, illegal fishing boats, and covert ops, China seems to be executing a hybrid harassment tactic designed to shake things up in the regional security landscape. They also appear determined to show off their dominance over the entire first island chain and their capacities for anti-access and area denial operations.
However, the ultimate aim might be to undermine international norms by intensifying "legal warfare" against neighboring countries - normalizing military drills across East Asia to erode established rules. By creating the illusion of long-standing law enforcement activity, China could potentially blur international recognition of sovereign boundaries in favor of its disputed territorial claims, they concluded.
Insights: China's strategies include using "gray zone" tactics to blur sovereignty boundaries, demonstrating military power, and employing legal warfare to justify their actions. Their goals involve establishing regional dominance and asserting sovereignty over disputed territories.
- China's military drills and gray zone incursions, as detailed in the White Paper China's National Security in the New Era, are not just displays of power but also attempts to normalize such activities in the region, potentially eroding established international rules (politics).
- War-and-conflicts in the East Asia region are being reshaped, not only by China's gray zone warfare and naval exercises but also by their use of civilian fishers and vessels to divert attention and justify law enforcement operations, aiming to blur international recognition of sovereign boundaries (general-news).
