In recent years the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region has gained renewed strategic global importance, a trend primarily fueled by the rise of China’s military and its expansionist aims. Chinese influence is now felt in many parts of the globe, chiefly through its economic reach, but also militarily on a more regional basis. That includes growing threats against Taiwan and military expansion into the South China Sea, where the People's Republic of China has constructed several airfields and military facilities on occupied reefs in the disputed Spratly Islands.
China’s navy is also growing at an accelerated rate, with two aircraft carriers—Liaoning and Shandong—now in service and a third undergoing sea trials. The latest, Fujian, is a larger vessel in the 80,000- to 100,000-tonne class and is equipped with three electromagnetic catapults for aircraft launch. Both Russia and particularly North Korea continue to pose real and unpredictable threats, especially in the north of the region.
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