Maritime Rights and National Security: China’s Evolving Security Discourse
May 21, 2025
In the newly released white paper titled "National Security in the New Era," Beijing signaled a notable shift in how it frames its maritime affairs within the national security system. For the first time, "maritime rights" is not only named as a core component of China's national security concern – it is framed through the lens of China's "unfulfilled reunification" with Taiwan front and center.
In the 2019 white paper, "China's National Defense in the New Era," maritime rights and interests were mentioned largely in relation to land border issues, and received only a passing nod through brief references to Taiwan and South China Sea disputes. By contrast, the 2025 document devoted much of the section "Safeguard Territorial Integrity and Maritime Rights and Interests" to the Taiwan question. Such a rhetorical evolution reveals a recalibration of China's strategic priorities – and an increasingly direct linkage between Taiwan, the South China Sea, maritime rights and interests, and national security.
Author: Mengzhen Liu, Assistant Research Fellow at Huayang Center for Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance
This article was originally published on The Diplomat. Read the full article at: https://thediplomat.com/2025/05/maritime-rights-and-national-security-chinas-evolving-security-discourse/
