China’s Strategic Position in the Indo-Pacific Has Deteriorated Significantly

The strategic environment confronting the CCP in the Indo-Pacific continues to deteriorate, driven by a convergence of factors.

A China Coast Guard ship (top) sails close to Filipino fishermen aboard two wooden boats (center), as a Philippine Fisheries and Aquatic Resources inflatable boat observes, near the Scarborough Shoal, in the South China Sea, on Feb. 16, 2024. Ted Aljibe/ AFP/Getty Images

Commentary

At the recently concluded Shangri-La Dialogue, Beijing sent its lowest-level delegation since it officially began participating in the event in 2007. At the same time, U.S. War Secretary Pete Hegseth, a regular and influential voice at the forum, reiterated that China is not allowed to dominate the Indo-Pacific. Separately, 17 countries agreed to cooperate on protecting undersea cables, with neither China nor the United States included.