A Study On The Strategic Transformation And Realizing Path Of China’s Marine Rights And Interests Protection

The theory of seapower, advocated by Alfred Thayer Mahan, provides strongacademic weapon for the development of Western countries’ sea power. For more than100years Mahan’s was interpret by different western scholars. Germany adopted histheory of seapower and change the national policy from mainland to ocean in riseprocess，thus dropped it into an endless of war. Mahan’s highly praise on seapowerand German historical influence make western countries form a consensus: any risingpower will become a threat to current national seapower, even spark widespread war.This understanding of limination caused their fear and suspicion on China’s rising.But actually, they didn’t realize that some emerging countries has already risedpeacefully and it is unnecessary for them to safeguard state’s marine rights andinterests by struggle on seapower.The integration of world economy, theestablishment and development of the United Nations, the innovation of science andtechnology, all of them lead China to get ride from Mahan’s seapower theory, ourcountry can strengthen its marine rights and interests by strategic transformation andpath innovation. Some Chinese scholars’ reinterpret of the seapower’s concept isresponse to the realities. We can find the time has come for China to concentrate on itsmarine rights and interests after analysing the relationshipi between terrestrial powerand sea power of China. And with the analysis of Chnia’s advantages anddisadvantages on protecting marine rights, we also find there are a few disadvantagescan be avoided by strategic transformation, while some advantages play a greatereffectiveness in this strategic transformation. This paper put forward three basiccontents of the strategic transformation about China’s protection on marine rights andinterests with the result of analysis on strategics: firstly, from the focus on soft powerchange to focus on hard power; secondly, from the main single government todiversity main bodies of the society; thirdly, from political rights to the whole ofmarine rights. In order to realize this strategic transformation on marine rights and interests, we need to innovate the path: reach the dependence China’s nationaleconomy on marine economy; innovate marine management system; cultivate anddevelop marine organizations; encourage communications on marine affairs.