One-Theatre Strategy: A United Front Against China’s Maritime Expansion

The Philippines’ support for a “one-theatre” operational concept in the East and South China seas reveals a growing trend: regional powers are uniting to counter China’s assertive maritime expansion. Japan’s idea to integrate the East China Sea, South China Sea, and surrounding areas into a single military theatre resonates with Manila, whose own waters have been repeatedly intruded upon despite international rulings favouring its sovereignty claims.

This strategy essentially aims to link the security concerns of Japan and the Philippines – and by extension, the Quad allies – into a seamless operational front. It brings potential adversarial activities closer to China’s doorstep, instead of being confined to smaller bilateral disputes. For years, Beijing has gradually pushed its opponents aside, creating a de facto maritime sphere of influence.

One-Theatre Strategy

A single-theatre concept threatens to erode this advantage by forging real-time operational synergy, intelligence sharing, and coordinated deterrence across vast waters China once navigated with little unified resistance.

The establishment of a Squad coordinating centre later this year signifies that this is not merely theoretical posturing. It reflects a practical move to build an effective maritime coalition, as seen in Manila’s recent defence pacts with Japan, New Zealand, and negotiations with Canada and France.

In essence, this emerging coalition seeks to prevent Beijing from treating its neighbours in isolation. Instead, it compels China to face a united front, raising the strategic costs of its aggressive maritime pursuits.

Business News