The United States and China in Power Transition - Strategic Studies ...

terests. At the moment, the most troubling issues for
China in the Western Pacific are the conflicts with the
United States over the EEZ, the territorial disputes in
the South and East China Seas, and the lack of a credible
blue-water navy to sustain China’s interests. All of
these add complications to the contentious U.S.-China
power transition.
U.S.-China Conflict over the EEZ. This is a direct
confrontation between China and the United States. It
centers on the U.S. military activities in the Chineseclaimed
EEZ. The issue stems from the two sides’ diametrically-opposing
views on the legal and practical
nature of the U.S. military activities in this area. The
opposing views and acts have gotten the two nations
to confront each other in hostile ways in the Western
Pacific.
The most notable confrontation so far is the collision
of a U.S. EP-3 surveillance plane with a People’s
Liberation Army (PLA) fighter jet about 70 miles off
China’s southern coast over the South China Sea on
April Fool’s Day 2001 (it was unfortunately not a
joke). 87 Since then, China and the United States have
continued to clash in the South and East China Seas.
China has reportedly “harassed” the entire U.S. ocean
surveillance fleet at various occasions such as the
USNS Bowditch (September 2002), Bruce C. Heezen
(2003), Victorious (2003, 2004), Effective (2004), John
McDonnell (2005), Mary Sears (2005), Loyal (2005), and
Impeccable (2009). 88 The latest incident in the South
China Sea involving the USNS Impeccable generated a
new round of outcry between the two nations. Dennis
Blair, former Commander of the U.S. Pacific Command,
called it the most serious confrontation since
the EP-3 incident. 89 In addition to the clashes over the
surveillance ships, China has also taken issue with the
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