Thread by @georgemagnus1

How China sees South China Sea. Different perspectives here from traditional N/S map. See China's fear of containment, Taiwan/Japan/Korea, Malacca Straits choke point, 2 island chains, contested islands Rykuku, Spratly, Paracel, US Pacific fleet and more.Imagine 9-dash line 1/4

As a pal of mine in HK says, China wants the SCS to be a Chinese lake, not a Chinese prison, and this E/W perspective helps to contextualise. But you can also see the US, Japan, Taiwan and Asian security perspectives better this way too., and why ... 2/4

.....so many Asian countries are conflicted between their economic ties to China and their dependence on the US and increasingly on new institutions like the Quad Alliance, and CPTPP to push back against their big neighbour 3/4

China's strategic goal, to push US Pacific fleet way beyond the Philippines and as far as Guam to the west, is ambitious to say the least. No country likes the idea of encirclement/containment, but China's actions/threats in the SCS have only succeeded in increasing pushback.4/4