Red Star over the Pacific, Second Edition: China's Rise and the Challenge to U.S. Maritime Strategy

Combining a close knowledge of Asia and an ability to tap Chinese-language sources with naval combat experience and expertise in sea-power theory, the authors assess how the rise of Chinese sea power will affect U.S. maritime strategy in Asia. They argue that China has laid the groundwork for a sustained challenge to American primacy in maritime Asia, and to defend this hypothesis they look back to Alfred Thayer Mahan�s sea-power theories, now popular with the Chinese. The book considers how strategic thought about the sea shapes Beijing�s deliberations and compares China�s geostrategic predicament to that of the Kaiser�s Germany a century ago. It examines the Chinese navy�s operational concepts, tactics, and capabilities and appraises China�s missile force. The authors conclude that China now presents a challenge to America�s strategic position of such magnitude that Washington must compete in earnest.