Hu Jintao, China’s outgoing president, has called for the country to become a “maritime power” in language that will fuel concerns among its neighbours and in the US over how it deals with a host of territorial disputes.
Mr Hu told the opening session of the Communist party’s 18th National Congress yesterday it “should . . . resolutely safeguard China’s maritime rights and interests, and build China into a maritime power”.
Beijing has been paying more attention to its maritime interests for more than a decade following its integration in the global economy. However, placing the safeguard of maritime interests and the goal of becoming a naval power in the congress report makes the issues central to the party agenda.