Mapping China’s Strategic Space
The territorial claims of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), both on land and in the maritime domain, including over Taiwan, are well known and documented. But how does the leadership conceive of the space beyond China’s immediate borders? Do Chinese elites envision a limited, regional, or a global expansion? Are they thinking in terms of areas over which they need to exert direct physical control as compared to spheres of influence? What is the significance of the “strategic new frontiers” including space, deep sea and polar regions? What does Beijing’s mental map of expansion look like, and what does it tell us about the direction of China’s foreign policy and grand strategy?
To unpack China’s conception of its “strategic space” and its implications in the context of great power competition, NBR held a public event on September 16, 2024. Drawing on a recently published special report titled “Mapping China’s Strategic Space,” the event featured leading experts on China’s foreign and security policy to survey their views on Beijing’s expansionism by considering geopolitical underpinnings and rationales, geographic and functional delineations, and the country’s geostrategic evolution since the end of the Cold War.
Featured Speakers
Mark Lambert
Deputy Assistant Secretary for China and Taiwan, U.S. Department of State
Jacqueline Deal
Long Term Strategy Group
Aaron Friedberg
Princeton University
April Herlevi
Center for Naval Analyses
Nadège Rolland
The National Bureau of Asian Research
Alison Szalwinski
The National Bureau of Asian Research
Mark Lambert, Deputy Assistant Secretary for China and Taiwan, U.S. Department of State, delivers keynote remarks.
Alison Szalwinski (NBR vice president of research) moderates a Q&A session with DAS Lambert.
(Left to right) Nadège Rolland (NBR) speaks on a panel with April Herlevi (Center for Naval Analyses) and Jacqueline Deal (Long Term Strategy Group), moderated by Aaron Friedberg (Princeton University).
Michael Wills (NBR president) delivers remarks.
