Taking Naval Options Away from China
Peter Zeihan
5 min
New weapon systems deployed by Japan and the US permanently lock China into the western side of the first island chain. China is screwed because every nation in the region now has the ability to destroy its economy by interrupting sea lanes.
Key points
- 0:00
Japan launched a Type 88 anti-ship missile from the Philippines.
- 0:00
These truck-mounted systems block Chinese access to the wider world.
- 0:00
The US has not reinforced the first island chain during the Cold War.
- 0:00
China and the US are now outright hostile to each other.
- 0:00
Truck-mounted weapons allow nations to fortify the island chain without fixed installations.
- 1:43
The Typhon Tomahawk launcher has a range of 1,500 miles.
- 1:43
The Type 88 missile has a range of about 100 miles.
- 1:43
Philippines, Japan, and US Marines can now create no-go zones for Chinese vessels.
- 1:43
These systems castrate the entire Chinese military position in the region.
- 1:43
Japan has tested an offensive weapon system outside its home islands for the first time since WWII.
- 1:43
China is the most dependent country in the world on globalization.
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