Britain Returns to the Indian Ocean?

This article considers how far the UK is returning to an ‘East of Suez’ role in the Indian Ocean. A threefold structure is taken based on past, current and future aspects of this role. The first section (‘past’) considers the Indian Ocean as a British Lake and the announced withdrawal from East of Suez that was announced in the early 1970s. The second section (‘present’) looks at the various bases, facilities and partnerships that the UK has around and across the Indian Ocean with Bahrain, Oman, Gulf of Aden, Somaliland, Diego Garcia (and the United States), India, Malaysia and Singapore (including the Five Power Defence Agreements), Australia and China. The third section (‘future’) considers likely post-BREXIT decisions facing the UK in the Indian Ocean with regard to its projected naval assets and political choices across the region. It finds there is some substance behind the rhetoric on a British return to the area.     

Fire over water: China's strategic engagement of Somalia and the Gulf of Aden crisis

Abstract

Since China agreed to join the international counter-piracy coalition in late 2008, a watershed development in Chinese strategic policy, Beijing's engagement in Somalia is now following two separate streams. First, China is seeking to engage Somalia as part of its expanding number of African diplomatic partners via its participation in the coalition. Second, China is attempting to demonstrate, on the international level, its growing commitment to developing its naval capabilities, and protecting its maritime trade interests, by engaging in multilateral and coalition-based operations, namely to combat piracy off the Somali coast, in order to deflect criticism from the United States and its allies of China's overall military expansion and modernization.     

印俄海军合作浅析

冷战后，印俄两国在互利贸易的基础上建立了合作研发的新型海军合作关系，合作深度和广度大幅提升。印俄海军合作的目标中有一定的针对中国的因素。近年来其合作面，恪着印度与美国等西方国家海军合作的压力，但俄罗斯对印度海军的影响将是长期的。     

新世纪我国海军战略理论的创新发展

任何国家的海军战略理论都不是一成不变的。相对于20世纪80年代逐步形成和发展起来的海军战略理论,新世纪我国的海军战略理论必将随着时代的变迁及战略需求的变化而有所突破和发展。本文拟从海军战略的基本概念与应用功能、海军战略的实质与性质特征、海军战略使命任务的理论体系与具体内容、海军战略防卫范围与战略防卫能力等四个方面探讨新世纪我国海军战略理论的创新发展。     

论新中国海军发展战略之演化

新中国成立以后，党的第一代领导集体提出了建立“保卫沿海沿江的海军”的目标，以抵御来自海上的侵略；新的历史时期，党的第二代领导集体形成了关于近海防御的战略思想，确定了建立精干、顶用、具有现代作战能力的海军的总目标；伴随着亚洲太平洋世纪的到来，党的第三代领导集体从战略的高度认识海洋，为人民海军规定了发展的新要求、新目标、新任务。新中国５０年海军发展战略具有历史继承性、时代性、全局性的特点。展望新世纪，人民海军在有中国特色的海军发展战略理论的指导下，必将走向更大的辉煌     

Towards naval normalcy: 'open seas protection' and Sino-US maritime relations

On May 26th, 2015, China published its 10th Defense White Paper which integrated 'open seas protection', along with 'offshore waters defense', into its naval strategy. This shift in naval strategy, albeit largely anticipated, raises a series of important questions about China's maritime ambitions. This article seeks to analyze the causes, nature and challenges of China's latest shift in naval strategy, and its implications for Sino-US maritime relations. The article argues that China's latest shift in naval strategy is a logical corollary of the tension between China's expanding global interests and its asymmetric approach to sea power, and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) provides the necessary stimulus and justification for such a shift. China's new naval strategy, the paper contends, denotes that it will develop a Mahanian blue-water navy and a basic network of overseas bases in the years ahead. Those two developments are expected to pose a series of significant challenges for China's foreign policy. The article argues that China's new naval strategy presents both challenges and opportunities for China and the world. To accomplish 'open seas protection', China will probably have to modify its policies on a range of issues, and moderate its competitive stance in the near seas. Although China's new naval strategy need not be interpreted in a competitive framework, it does present China with a stark choice: either it pursues more friendly attitudes towards its maritime ambitions by modifying its current policy, or it will be increasingly confronted by a coalition of hostile states.     

抗战胜利后中国对台澎地区日本海军的接收

抗战胜利后,国民政府海军奉命参加光复台湾行动,主要任务是接收台澎地区的日本海军。经过数月的努力,赴台海军官兵在人员少、任务重的情况下,基本上完成了收缴日本海军武器及军用物资、集中并监管日本海军战俘等各项接收工作,实现了在台湾恢复领海主权的目标。但由于海军在接收前准备不足,接收人员的素质也参差不齐,加之同时发生的中央海军领导机关重组风波,又在一定程度上影响和干扰了海军在台澎地区的接收工作,以致接收成效并不尽如人意。