– Asian Maritime Transparency Institute – With six-plus-years of Chinese Gulf of Aden anti-piracy operations and China’s first submarine deployments to the Indian Ocean, considering possible support facilities for the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) isn’t just for those theorizing a “String of Pearls” anymore. The U.S. Department of Defense itself forecasts that within the coming decade Beijing will establish one or more facilities capable of providing significant, if still limited, logistical support. The IOR is attracting increasing Chinese and American attention, with the latest U.S. Maritime Strategy referring to the “Indo-Asia-Pacific” and the previous commander of the U.S. Pacific Command describing its area of operations extending “from Hollywood to Bollywood.” With IOR geopolitics thus receiving growing outside attention, where China will ultimately locate its naval logistics points is an increasingly important question.

– National Interest – “[I]f the United States insists on publicly denying and routinely penetrating the 12-nm lines, China simply cannot bear the costs of inaction.”

– The Diplomat – China is becoming “more willing and able” to stake and defend its interests overseas.

– National Interest – Here are three ways in which tensions in the South China Sea might lead to conflict.

– Want China Times – Admitting that Japan has the capability to project its naval force to the South China Sea, Admiral Li Jie of China’s People’s Liberation Army said Chinese warships also have the right to ram Japanese ships in the disputed region.

– McClatchy – U.S. officials and many of China’s neighbors are alarmed by China’s construction of artificial islands and military facilities in the South China Sea, given its growing fleet of nuclear submarines.

– US Naval War College Review – Xi Jinping’s declaration that China should strive to become a “true maritime power” has been much discussed in the context of China’s “peaceful rise” and the pursuit of the “Chinese dream.” Although there is, at face value, nothing quite new about Xi’s exhortation to the Chinese leadership, his remarks need to be understood against a rather complex background of situations, policies, and aspirations if their full significance is to be appreciated.

– US Naval War College Review – Tracing the evolution in French, Soviet, and Chinese naval thought.