China’s dependency on the sea lanes of communication (SLOC) for trade and energy supply is a well-known fact, just like the security problem it creates for the PRC: all ships to and from its territory must cross several chokepoints that could be easily blocked off by a hostile power in the case of a military conflict. Considering the mounting rivalry with the United States and its allies, this prospect has become a serious challenge for China’s security planners. Unsurprisingly, the leadership in Beijing is taking measures to solve the issue, which could possibly include setting up new military bases abroad.

Background

Maritime trade has played a pivotal role in China’s rise as a preeminent economic power. The large majority of the goods it exchanges are transported by ships along the SLOC, and the same applies to the raw materials it imports – most notably hydrocarbons from the Middle East. Apart from the fact that these sea routes stretch for thousands of kilometers across the oceans, the main problem for China is that they also pass through various straits. These are vulnerable passages that could be blocked with relative ease by the US Navy, thus isolating China from global trade and seriously undermining its economy and energy security.

The first of these chokepoints is the Malacca Strait, which is located in Southeast Asia between the Malay Peninsula and the island of Sumatra, where it joins the Indian and the Pacific oceans. This is the most cited example of China’s SLOC vulnerability, to the point that the term “Malacca Dilemma” has become an oft-used byword in the strategic vocabulary. Malacca is effectively one of the busiest maritime passages in the world; most Chinese shipping traverses its waters and the possible alternatives (namely the Lombok and Sunda Straits) are sub-optimal solutions.

Yet the PRC must not only worry about Malacca, but also the other straits located to the west, which are equally decisive passages for international trade with Europe and the Middle East. Specifically, two chokepoints connecting the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean via the Red Sea: the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, squeezed between Yemen and Djibouti, and then the Suez Canal that cuts through Egypt just west of the Sinai Peninsula. In addition to these, there is also the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Indian Ocean with the Persian Gulf, lying between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.