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Chinese academic warns of narrowing era of open seas
Di Dongsheng said competition between the US and China could create threats or partial shocks to China’s maritime import and export routes before Beijing secures broader dominance over global shipping lanes.
A prominent Chinese academic warned that the age of open oceans may be ending as US China economic ties shift toward competition, raising the risk to sea based trade routes, according to the SCMP Economy.
Di Dongsheng, associate dean at Renmin University’s school of international studies in Beijing, said China should build a national consensus on “regaining mastery of the oceans” and channel returns from overseas investment into defence spending to prepare for sea power struggle with the United States.
He argued it could take roughly three decades for China to secure dominance and access to ports, straits, canals and shipping lanes worldwide, but said threats or partial shocks to maritime shipments could emerge earlier and therefore deserve close attention.
Di also pointed to US tariffs and sanctions as a recent battleground, saying his research indicated Beijing gained the upper hand last year, though he said some believe Washington is still targeting China’s vulnerabilities, and he cited geopolitical developments since mid 2025 around the Panama Canal, Greenland and the Strait of Hormuz as warning signs.