it sees its maritime periphery as deeply hostile. Here, China perceives a region strategically allied against it—with a ring of US allies from South Korea to Japan to Taiwan to the Philippines and Australia. China’s strategic response to this is clear. It seeks to fracture US alliances. It has said as much repeatedly in its declaratory statements, claiming that they are relics of the Cold War. Meanwhile, as noted above, Xi has overseen a transformation of China’s military capabilities in which the army continues to shrink and its naval and air forces continue to expand, along with an arsenal
