by Stratfor
Financial Sense
[…] Analysis
Over the past four decades, China has gradually abandoned its self-imposed isolation in favor of deep ties with global markets. Though the approach has pushed the Chinese economy to new heights, it has also made the country’s supply lines more vulnerable, a reality to which the Chinese military has had to adapt. The seas—not the land—are now the key to China’s economic security and regional dominance, and protecting them has become one of Beijing’s greatest concerns.