[Exclusive] China swallows the West Sea…”Eight major naval fortresses” built

Satellite data analysis revealed that China is transforming the West Sea into a ‘bastion’, its aggressive strategic base.

As a result of a comprehensive analysis by the Women’s Economic Daily on the 12th of Google Earth satellite data and a report from the US Naval War College’s China Maritime Institute (CMSI), China has established a tight maritime siege network through eight key bases stretching from Bohai Bay at the northern end of the West Sea to the vicinity of Shanghai at the southern end. Major bases such as Qingdao, Dalian, and Ningbo have built very large infrastructure for operating aircraft carrier battle groups.

According to satellite analysis, the places where the Chinese Navy’s ambitions are most blatantly revealed are the Qingdao Guzhenkou Base and the Dalian Shipyard.

△Qingdao Guzhenkou Base=The pier captured in the satellite image is large enough for two aircraft carriers, such as the Liaoning and Shandong, to dock at the same time. According to the China Power Project of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), this place is fully equipped with a large dry dock capable of accommodating aircraft carrier-class ships and a dedicated area for Type 055 Renhai-class destroyers and Type 901 logistics support ships. 이는 항모 전단이 작전 배치 전 전력을 통합하고 출격 준비를 마치는 전방 발진 기지(FOB) 역할을 수행함을 의미한다. The offensive line to advance into the Pacific Ocean was drawn at the southern tip of Qingdao.

△다롄 조선소=미국 정부가 2023년 10월 19일 발행한 <중국 군사력 보고서(CMPR)>에서 지목한 해군력 증강의 핵심 거점이다. It has carried out both the remodeling of the Liaoning and the construction of the Shandong, and is currently capable of simultaneously constructing and maintaining a new aircraft carrier. It is evaluated as an exemplary example and the forefront of the ‘military-civilian fusion’ strategy. 일본의 국립기본정책연구소(NIPPR) 등의 분석에 따르면 다롄 조선소의 건조 현장에서 원자로 격납 용기(Reactor Containment Vessel) 설치를 위한 것으로 추정되는 구조물이 식별되었다.

The northern theater’s maritime defense network and submarine force were built secretly and meticulously. First of all, the thorough defense posture is noticeable. △The Lushun base builds a natural fortress using the sandy terrain known as the ‘tiger’s tail’ and deploys Type 052D destroyers to block the entrance to Bohai Bay.

Underwater power is a threat. △Qingdao Zhanggezhuang Submarine Base is characterized by a huge underground tunnel carved through the mountainous terrain. 잠수함이 부상한 상태로 자력 진입이 가능해 위성 감시가 불가능한 내부에서 무장 적재와 출격 준비가 이뤄진다. △Hurudao Bohai Shipyard builds 2 to 4 submarines at a time and has the ability to produce attack submarines every year.

Looking south, the Eastern Theater’s Zhoushan Base and Ningbo Xiangshan Base are targeting the East China Sea. △Zhoushan Base = This is where the East Sea Fleet headquarters is located and is a huge naval complex with the entire island fortified. Type 055 destroyers and Sovremenny class destroyers, the main forces of the Taiwan Strait blockade, are gathered.

△Ningbo Xiangshan Base = It is used as a base for Kilo-class and Yuan-class conventional submarines by using the complex coastline and island-laden terrain. 스털링 엔진 기반의 공기불요추진체계(AIP)를 탑재한 위안급 잠수함은 수주 간 잠항하며 대만 해협의 길목을 지킨다. This place also has underground tunnel facilities to increase survivability.

A huge underground submarine tunnel, also visible in satellite photos. This tunnel, created by drilling into the rock of a mountain, is a facility that allows nuclear submarines to enter and exit secretly, avoiding the eyes of satellites. /Google Earth

A huge underground submarine tunnel, also visible in satellite photos. This tunnel, created by drilling into the rock of a mountain, is a facility that allows nuclear submarines to enter and exit secretly, avoiding the eyes of satellites.

Security experts agree that the deployment of power at these eight bases shows China’s will to make the West Sea its ‘inland sea’. 북한의 핵 위협에 매몰된 사이 중국이 서해 전역을 요새화해 한미 동맹의 작전 반경을 잠식하고 있다는 지적이다. There is an urgent need to expand surveillance and reconnaissance assets to counter China’s A2/AD strategy and prepare a sophisticated response manual to prepare for the possibility of accidental collisions in the West Sea.

Professor Toshi Yoshihara and Professor James Holmes of the U.S. Naval War College analyzed in their books and papers that China’s naval power enhancement is a modern continuation of Alfred Thayer Mahan’s theory of sea power. 요시하라 교수는 “”중국이 대만 통일 시 서해, 동중국해, 남중국해가 하나의 통합된 작전 구역으로 연결되어 중국 해군이 진정한 대양 해군으로 거듭날 수 있을 것으로 본다””고 지적했다.

☞A2/AD(반접근·지역거부)=적의 군사력이 아군 진영으로 들어오지 못하게 막는 ‘반접근’과 자유롭게 활동하지 못하도록 거부하는 ‘지역거부’를 합친 군사 용어다. This is a core strategy established by China to block superior forces, such as the US aircraft carrier strike group, from accessing waters near China, such as the West Sea or the Taiwan Strait.

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