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Description

This article examines China’s “One Belt, One Road” (OBOR) strategy as a framework for integrating economic expansion with a reconceptualized approach to border and maritime defense, termed “grand border defense.” The author argues that OBOR requires China to transition from inward-looking security and defense postures toward outward-oriented, cooperative strategies that blend military, political, and diplomatic efforts. Grand border defense serves as both a protective and enabling mechanism, supporting the strategic connectivity of land and maritime routes while addressing emerging non-traditional security threats such as terrorism, transnational crime, and environmental risks. Policymakers should recognize OBOR as a dual-purpose initiative: advancing China’s economic and geopolitical influence while transforming its defense posture into a proactive, integrated system that reinforces national power and stability in peripheral regions and along critical sea lanes.

Publication Date

4-1-2016

Publisher

China Maritime Studies Institute, U.S Naval War College

City

Newport, Rhode Island

Keywords

China Maritime Studies Institute, CMSI, One Belt One Road, grand border defense, outward-looking strategy, maritime security, land-sea integration, transnational threats, peripheral influence, strategic connectivity, continental and maritime culture, China’s Going Out policy

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