China has made a lot of enemies around its borders. Which seems odd when you consider that geography is already China's enemy.*
China is constrained by geography in its drive for global dominance:
In an age defined by artificial intelligence, long-range missiles, naval modernization, and other advancements, geography may seem like an outdated constraint, a relic conquered by modern technology and global ambition.
There are many who assume so. However, the reality is different for many states whose geography remains an overarching shadow over their policies; ever-present in the minds of the men who navigate the ship of state. Nowhere is this more painfully evident than in China’s maritime ambitions.
Despite unprecedented economic and strategic rise, the seas remain stubbornly resistant to domination. What we’re witnessing is the slow return of a geopolitical truth long articulated by Robert D. Kaplan: that geography still defines the outer limits of strategic ambition.
I've long noted China has a bad geographic position and that I wouldn't trade places with China.
America by contrast is free to project power globally because of its superior geographic position. And one thing that freedom allows it to do is maintain Eurasian shields to keep enemies across the Atlantic and Pacific.
That Great Wall off of China's coast is America's. And there is another wall.
*Really, the Chinese Communist Party is China's greatest enemy given that for the CCP, its survival takes precedence over China's survival.
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NOTE: Illustration from the article.
