Throughout history, we can find that the marine civilization advocating sea power, whether ancient or modern, has provided the world with a model of prosperity and strength. At the end of 19, the total industrial output value of the United States jumped to the top in the world, with rapid production development, sharp increase in products, and serious surplus of domestic capital and commodity production, which urgently needed to explore international trade and world markets. However, the traditional political forces and the people's deep-rooted "isolationism" consciousness make the United States wander at the historical crossroads of overseas development and isolation from the new world. Mahan's masterpiece The Influence of Sea Power on History 1663- 1783 represents the voice of American society for sea power and brings the United States to a vast ocean. People in the US Navy have always believed that Mahan and his "sea power theory" should be attributed to the great victory of the United States since the Spanish-American War, and to the fact that the United States has stepped onto the world political stage and become a world superpower.
From the second half of the 20th century to the beginning of 2 1 century, the maritime disputes in the international community were mainly maritime rights and interests disputes. Although the relevant laws and regulations of the international community and public opinion can play a certain role, from the current practice of resolving maritime disputes, sea power still plays a decisive role in many means. With the land territory basically established and the maritime division continuing, having sea power, even in a certain water area, will have more physical space, which is very beneficial for a country to safeguard its maritime rights and interests. In today's international arena, for any country, politics without sea power is fragile, and national strength without sea power is even more difficult to last. In fact, there are more than 100 countries bordering on the sea, and the geopolitics between China and China is represented by the sea and sea power. For important deep-water ports, key maritime traffic arteries, strategically significant straits and bays, whichever country has the actual control right will have the right to speak, which will certainly enhance its political capital and value. Therefore, the geo-strategy of the ocean determines the political power of a sea power country.
2. Economy: The ocean is an important guarantee for China to achieve sustainable economic and social development.
In today's global economic integration, the transportation of most materials, especially important energy strategic materials, must be realized by the ocean, such as the transportation of offshore oil transportation arteries and pipeline networks below the sea surface, which all involve the possession of the ocean's own resources. Developing the economy means developing the ocean, and promoting the development of the ocean is bound to be the result of economic development. Therefore, the establishment and competition of sea power is also the necessity of economic development. To develop the economy for a long time, we must ensure that we have the right to control the sea. With the development of science and technology, people's understanding of the ocean has already surpassed the traditional ocean view of "the benefit of fishermen and the benefit of salt" and "the boat is convenient".
According to Marxist principles, the root of social change lies in the change of economic form, and the changes in social politics, military affairs, diplomacy, law, education, ethics, customs, values, culture and art are fundamentally subordinate to and subordinate to the changes in economic form. This is the law of social change. Examining the history of China's social development in the past hundred years, we can clearly see the track of China's economic transformation: from the "inward-oriented economic form" of traditional farming to the "outward-oriented economic form" relying on sea passages, which has promoted the development of other fields of society. Especially since the reform and opening up in 1980s, China's economic structure and social transformation have shown a trend of accelerated development. Among them, the development and utilization of the ocean has greatly promoted the economic and social changes in China.
Third, security: having sea power means having unparalleled security advantages.
"Air supremacy is the foundation of sea supremacy, which is the foundation of homeland security, and homeland security is the foundation of national security!" This sentence profoundly reflects the importance of the ocean for a country's security construction. Small tactical campaigns can make sea power resist the enemy's landing, while large strategic sea power can eliminate the long-term threat of the enemy and build a safe, peaceful and stable external environment. Therefore, it can be said that how much sea power you have mastered, how much national security you have mastered.
In the traditional sense of security, the strategic focus of maritime security is mainly around the battleground of military strategists such as straits, air routes and islands, which is a competition in the military field and a collision of national forces. Historically, many countries have maintained their own maritime hegemony. Today, after more than 200 years of land and sea expansion, the United States has controlled the main sea lanes on the earth and occupied many islands in important geographical positions in the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean and Atlantic Ocean. These islands are located in the maritime traffic line and are called "strategic islands" by the United States. On this basis, the US military has achieved the strategic goals of global strike, global participation and global arrival.
Therefore, whoever can control the ocean will affect the balance of the international system, and whoever has great political and economic power.