S TRATEGIC F ORUM O

This scenario required (referring to the areas within the first island chain, in- the PLA to be able to conduct joint operations such as cluding the Yellow, South, and East China seas and the conventional missile strikes from multiple platforms, a Taiwan Strait; see figure 1). [...] PLA ground forces paigns described a joint anti–air raid campaign in these have contributed to United Nations (UN) peacekeeping terms: operations in Africa and the Middle East since the late 1980s.15 The navy has carried out port calls around the Aviation units as the main force will coordinate world, noncombatant evacuations (NEOs) in Libya and with the navy, long-range missile forces, and Yemen,. [...] military operations out to beyond China’s periphery, including the anti-piracy task the second island chain (an additional 1,400 nm).10 The forces.19 PLAN would be central to this vision, but would require There are two reasons why the PLA has not empha- support from the PLA Air Force (PLAAF) and the sized joint operations in the far seas. [...] An early precedent was the dispatch of PAP that “one of the missions of China’s armed forces is to medical staff and PLA engineers to Indonesia follow- effectively protect the security and legitimate rights and ing the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami (though China interests of overseas Chinese people, organizations, and lacked the capability to offer more extensive military institutions.”27 assistance).. [...] While the PLA of to cover part of the area of the Indian Ocean and 2035 would probably be unable to conduct a major war Western Pacific Ocean in the mid to long term.44 beyond the first island chain, Beijing would have the capabilities to conduct limited joint combat operations Joint training farther from China’s coasts sug- against other countries.