China to Expand Naval Operations Amid Growing Tensions With US

BEIJING—China outlined plans to shift its armed forces’ focus toward maritime warfare and accused foreign countries of “meddling” in the South China Sea, setting the stage for a confrontation between senior U.S. and Chinese defense officials at a security conference this weekend.

In its first public summary of military strategy, the State Council—China’s cabinet—said the navy will expand its operations from offshore areas to the open seas, while the air force will shift its focus to include offensive operations as well as defense of China’s territory.

The changes were designed to tackle new security challenges, including the U.S. shift of military and other resources to Asia, Japan’s efforts to overhaul its defense policy, and “provocative actions” from neighboring countries in the South China Sea, the State Council said in a white paper on military strategy published Tuesday.

“We will not attack unless we are attacked, but we will surely counterattack if attacked,” the paper said, reaffirming a long-standing commitment to a strategy of “active defense” of Chinese territory and national interests.

The document comes amid growing discord between China and the U.S. over artificial islands that Beijing is building in disputed waters in the face of protestations from Southeast Asian nations with competing maritime claims.

U.S. officials have been pushing Chinese officials for years to be more open about their military doctrine and strategy, and applauded China’s decision to release the strategy paper and be more forthright about their plans.

“We have repeatedly called on the Chinese for transparency and frankly this is an example of transparency,” Col. Steve Warren, the chief Pentagon spokesman, said. “This is step in the right direction. Their strategy is their strategy but what we want to focus on is the fact they released the strategy publicly.”

China’s paper is expected to dominate the Shangri-La Dialogue security conference in Singapore this weekend, to be attended by U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter and China’s Adm. Sun Jianguo, deputy chief of the People’s Liberation Army general staff, as well as top defense officials mainly from Asia.

“This document lays down a marker ahead of the Shangri-La Dialogue,” setting out China’s likely talking points at the annual gathering of top defense officials, said Richard Bitzinger, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.

Although the white paper mainly reiterates China’s efforts to modernize its armed forces, “it’s the first time that they’ve laid out their military strategy in an organized, cogent fashion,” Mr. Bitzinger said.

One of the main changes highlighted in the document is a shift of focus toward preparations for “maritime military struggle,” a Chinese military term for maritime warfare.

China claims almost all of the South China Sea, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes, and its efforts to enforce control of the area in recent years have caused growing concern in the U.S. and in Asia, where several nations have competing claims, including Vietnam and the Philippines.

Tensions have recently centered around the Spratlys chain, where China controls eight reefs and rocks, while rival claimants—the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Taiwan—occupy several islands and other geographical features. Beijing has been expanding the features it controls into artificial islands, which U.S. officials say could help Chinese forces take control of surrounding waters and airspace.

The Wall Street Journal reported this month that Mr. Carter had asked his staff to study ways of directly contesting Beijing’s territorial claims, such as by flying Navy surveillance aircraft over China’s artificial islands and sending U.S. naval ships to within 12 nautical miles of the features.

Philippine Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin told reporters this week that he plans to ask Mr. Carter in Hawaii on Tuesday “about the extent of the assistance [the U.S.] will give us because right now we are being oppressed” by Beijing’s actions—including the construction of artificial islands and alleged attempts to curb Philippine access to the surrounding sea and airspace.

Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou—whose government asserts claims on the South China Sea—weighed into the issue on Tuesday, calling on the disputing countries to explore joint development of the resource-rich waters, believed to hold large oil and gas deposits.

Beijing on Tuesday defended its building work in the Spratlys, saying the activity was comparable to construction of homes and roads on the mainland. “From the perspective of sovereignty, there is absolutely no difference,” Sr. Col. Yang Yujun, spokesman for China’s Defense Ministry, said at a news briefing.

While the artificial islands can be used for military purposes, they would also facilitate noncombat and civilian activity, such as maritime search-and-rescue, oceanic research and environmental protection, Col. Yang said. “This doesn’t help just China, but benefits the entire international community.”

Separately Tuesday, Chinese state media reported Tuesday that China’s transport ministry started building lighthouses on two reefs in the Spratlys, which Beijing calls the Nansha Islands.

Col. Yang accused some countries of interfering in the South China Sea disputes, referring to a recent U.S. surveillance flight—the subject of a CNN report last week—that drew radio warnings from the Chinese navy when the aircraft passed close to Chinese-controlled reefs in the Spratlys.

“Why has this issue [of surveillance flights] become such a hot topic? On one hand, some countries have stepped up surveillance activity against Chinese waters, and making this issue more stark,” said Col. Yang, in an apparent reference to the U.S. “On the other hand, there are people deliberately stirring up such discussions, with the aim of smearing the Chinese military and raising regional tensions—we can’t rule out an intention to find excuses for justifying future action by certain countries.”

The U.S. has long maintained that it doesn’t take sides in the territorial disputes in the South China Sea, though it has a national interest in maintaining freedom of navigation in the area. Even so, U.S. officials have in the past year stepped up criticism of China’s efforts to enforce and justify its claims in the region.

Col. Warren, the Pentagon spokesman, defended U.S. surveillance flights in the South China Sea and over the disputed territory of the Spratly Islands. “All of our flights and all of our ship movements are through international airspace and international waters,” he said. “This is part of our mission to defend freedom of navigation.”

At the Shangri-La Dialogue, Mr. Carter is expected to reiterate U.S. opposition to China’s island-building. Meanwhile, Adm. Sun, China’s top delegate to the conference, will outline Beijing’s external and defense policies in a speech and propose steps to increase intermilitary cooperation, according to Col. Yang.

“Of course there are some differences and problems between China and the U.S.,” Col. Yang said. “We hope that the U.S. can work together with China, and respect each other’s core interests and key concerns.”