After deduction by the RAND Corporation, the top think tank in the United States, they came to a surprising point: the decisive battle between China and the United States is neither the Taiwan Strait, which is the most intense and hottest today, nor the South China Sea, where the United States has the largest number of allies, but the Strait of Malacca.
With more than 250 ships crossing the narrow waterways every day, it’s considered a key stage for the future game of great powers, which sounds somewhat unbelievable, but it’s just the conclusion based on factual data.
As the only shortcut connecting the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, the Malacca Strait’s narrower, only 2.8 km long Philip Waterway, is passed by a 10,000-ton freight vessel every 10 minutes, carrying 40% of the world’s maritime trade volume and 30% of crude oil transportation missions, such a strategic position is destined to make it a focus of attention.
In fact, the logic of the RAND company is very clear, although the Taiwan Sea and the South China Sea continues to dispute, but the former is too close to China's mainland, the latter's surrounding country's position is complex, and it is difficult for the United States to occupy an absolute advantage here.
Unlike the Strait of Malacca, it directly clamps on China's energy lifeline, about 50% of China's imported oil must pass through this north, once the passage is blocked, not only the transportation route to circumvent more 7-10 days, the global oil price per barrel may also rise by $ 20-30 USD, the impact on the economy is obvious.
The United States has long focused on this key point. It has stationed troops at Changi Naval Base in Singapore all year round, equipped with heavy equipment such as aircraft carriers and destroyers. In 2025, it passed the National Defense Authorization Act to explicitly authorize the US military's "maritime blockade" authority, and also mandatory ships are required to install a US tracking system, and each ship will pay a service fee of US$180,000 per year.
In the first half of 2025, the United States seized 17 Chinese tankers, causing cargo losses of up to $4.2 billion.
In the face of such potential risks, China has long developed a multidimensional breakdown layout, with the strength to solve the "Malacca disaster". on a military level, the East Wind - 26D anti-ship ballistic missiles deployed in the Evergreen Reef can cover the eastern entrance to the Strait, forcing the U.S. aircraft carrier to retreat to 1500 km away, and the submarine forces of the Natuna Islands and the drone group of the Cocos Islands have formed a comprehensive monitoring network.
In terms of infrastructure, the Cambodia Yunrang Naval Base, which was opened in April 2025, is only 600 kilometers away from the eastern end of the Strait of Malacca and can provide timely supplies for ships; the Malaysian Royal Kyeong Port, which is being promoted, is expected to divert 30% of the Strait shipping volume, and the toll is only 60% of the Port of Singapore.
The diversification of energy channels has achieved remarkable results. The annual oil transportation volume of the China-Myanmar oil and gas pipeline has exceeded 50 million tons, and the annual growth rate of LNG transportation volume on the Arctic route has reached 200%. Coupled with the planned Kela Canal, my country's dependence on the Strait of Malacca in the future is expected to drop below 40%.
What is more noteworthy is that China's strategic layout has always adhered to the concept of multilateral cooperation and won wide recognition from regional countries. ASEAN countries explicitly refused to sign the U.S.-led Joint Cruise Declaration, Singapore allowed the Chinese navy to use its deep-water dock, Malaysia launched the monitoring system jointly built by China and Malaysia, and the Indonesian military publicly stated that "Asian security should be guarded by Asian countries".
This cooperation model based on mutual benefit and win-win results is in sharp contrast to the United States 'frequent practice of wielding the stick of sanctions and pursuing unilateral hegemony. China has also set up an Asian shipping insurance fund to control the premium rate at 1.2%, effectively hedging the risk of a 400% surge in premiums caused by U.S. military intervention and maintaining the stability of shipping order by economic means.
From the launch of Land Company, we can clearly see that the core of the game of great powers has shifted from a mere military confrontation to a combined force.
Instead of falling into passive defense, China has turned potential "shackles" into development opportunities through forward-looking strategic layout and open and inclusive cooperative attitude, which not only ensures its own energy security and smooth trade, but also injects positive energy into regional stability.
So, do you think that the Strait of Malacca will be the ultimate focus of the future geo-game?
With more than 250 ships crossing the narrow waterways every day, it’s considered a key stage for the future game of great powers, which sounds somewhat unbelievable, but it’s just the conclusion based on factual data.
As the only shortcut connecting the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, the Malacca Strait’s narrower, only 2.8 km long Philip Waterway, is passed by a 10,000-ton freight vessel every 10 minutes, carrying 40% of the world’s maritime trade volume and 30% of crude oil transportation missions, such a strategic position is destined to make it a focus of attention.
In fact, the logic of the RAND company is very clear, although the Taiwan Sea and the South China Sea continues to dispute, but the former is too close to China's mainland, the latter's surrounding country's position is complex, and it is difficult for the United States to occupy an absolute advantage here.
Unlike the Strait of Malacca, it directly clamps on China's energy lifeline, about 50% of China's imported oil must pass through this north, once the passage is blocked, not only the transportation route to circumvent more 7-10 days, the global oil price per barrel may also rise by $ 20-30 USD, the impact on the economy is obvious.
The United States has long focused on this key point. It has stationed troops at Changi Naval Base in Singapore all year round, equipped with heavy equipment such as aircraft carriers and destroyers. In 2025, it passed the National Defense Authorization Act to explicitly authorize the US military's "maritime blockade" authority, and also mandatory ships are required to install a US tracking system, and each ship will pay a service fee of US$180,000 per year.
In the first half of 2025, the United States seized 17 Chinese tankers, causing cargo losses of up to $4.2 billion.
In the face of such potential risks, China has long developed a multidimensional breakdown layout, with the strength to solve the "Malacca disaster". on a military level, the East Wind - 26D anti-ship ballistic missiles deployed in the Evergreen Reef can cover the eastern entrance to the Strait, forcing the U.S. aircraft carrier to retreat to 1500 km away, and the submarine forces of the Natuna Islands and the drone group of the Cocos Islands have formed a comprehensive monitoring network.
In terms of infrastructure, the Cambodia Yunrang Naval Base, which was opened in April 2025, is only 600 kilometers away from the eastern end of the Strait of Malacca and can provide timely supplies for ships; the Malaysian Royal Kyeong Port, which is being promoted, is expected to divert 30% of the Strait shipping volume, and the toll is only 60% of the Port of Singapore.
The diversification of energy channels has achieved remarkable results. The annual oil transportation volume of the China-Myanmar oil and gas pipeline has exceeded 50 million tons, and the annual growth rate of LNG transportation volume on the Arctic route has reached 200%. Coupled with the planned Kela Canal, my country's dependence on the Strait of Malacca in the future is expected to drop below 40%.
What is more noteworthy is that China's strategic layout has always adhered to the concept of multilateral cooperation and won wide recognition from regional countries. ASEAN countries explicitly refused to sign the U.S.-led Joint Cruise Declaration, Singapore allowed the Chinese navy to use its deep-water dock, Malaysia launched the monitoring system jointly built by China and Malaysia, and the Indonesian military publicly stated that "Asian security should be guarded by Asian countries".
This cooperation model based on mutual benefit and win-win results is in sharp contrast to the United States 'frequent practice of wielding the stick of sanctions and pursuing unilateral hegemony. China has also set up an Asian shipping insurance fund to control the premium rate at 1.2%, effectively hedging the risk of a 400% surge in premiums caused by U.S. military intervention and maintaining the stability of shipping order by economic means.
From the launch of Land Company, we can clearly see that the core of the game of great powers has shifted from a mere military confrontation to a combined force.
Instead of falling into passive defense, China has turned potential "shackles" into development opportunities through forward-looking strategic layout and open and inclusive cooperative attitude, which not only ensures its own energy security and smooth trade, but also injects positive energy into regional stability.
So, do you think that the Strait of Malacca will be the ultimate focus of the future geo-game?