The United States' attitude towards China is becoming increasingly tough, especially in Asia's military strategy, which has gradually increased its siege and restrictions on China. The "island chain strategy" formed during the Cold War has always played an important role and has become an effective barrier for the United States to contain the Chinese navy. This strategy firmly controls the long-distance access of the Chinese Navy by bending the maritime defense line along multiple islands.

By 2025, the situation became increasingly tense, and joint military exercises between the United States, Japan and South Korea became increasingly frequent. The Philippines opened multiple military bases to the US military and became a frontier position in the South China Sea region. At the same time, Australia and Canada often provoke trouble in the South China Sea, further strengthening this blockade network. Against this background, the Chinese Navy is facing increasing pressure. How to break through this gradually tightening blockade network has become an urgent problem.

After the end of World War II, the world entered the stage of the Cold War standoff between the United States and the Soviet Union. In order to curb the expansion of communism, the United States not only established "NATO" in Europe, but also established a blockade system based on "island chain" in the Asia-Pacific region. The island chains in the Western Pacific, including the Japanese archipelago, Ryukyu Islands, and Philippine Islands, have formed a natural line of defense and become the core strategy of the United States to restrict the Chinese navy.

In 1951, US Secretary of State John Foster Dulles first proposed the "island chain" strategy, defining it as a curved line of defense connecting the Aleutian Islands, the Ryukyu Islands and the Philippine Islands. This strategy then gradually evolved, forming a multi-level blockade network covering a vast area from the East China Sea to the South China Sea.

Although the island chain blockade led by the United States, Japan and South Korea seems unbreakable, there are many cracks inside it. In September 2025, during the "Blade of Freedom" joint military exercise held by the United States, Japan and South Korea, although the US military claimed that the Three Kingdoms Alliance was closer, it did not send core aircraft carriers to participate, exposing the deep-seated problems of coordinated operations between the three countries. The chaotic logistics and scheduling and unfamiliar tactical cooperation have prevented the joint operations from achieving the ideal results. In addition, the territorial dispute between Japan and South Korea in history has never been calmed down, and the mutual trust between the three countries is low, which greatly reduces the effectiveness of the joint military operations.

The attitude of the Philippines seems to be even more complicated. On the one hand, the Philippines allows the US military to deploy missile and radar systems within its borders and conduct joint exercises; on the other hand, the Philippines still maintains economic cooperation with China and participates in the "Belt and Road" project, indicating its uncertain strategic choices.

Australia's behavior is even tougher. In 2025, the Australian ship approached China's islands and reefs twice, and was warned by the Chinese Coast Guard and driven away. Although the United States, Japan and South Korea failed to provide substantial support, Australia still failed to shake the defense system of China's islands and reefs. These events show that the island chain blockade is not impeccable, and internal differences and coordination loopholes provide China with opportunities for breakthroughs.

The Chinese Navy has begun to respond to this geographical blockade with practical actions. In May 2025, a dual aircraft carrier formation composed of China's Liaoning and Shandong ships crossed the second island chain for the first time, approaching Guam, only 1,500 kilometers away, setting a record that the Chinese aircraft carrier formation is closest to the core base of the United States' Western Pacific. During this process, the Type 055 destroyer escorted the entire process, the carrier-based aircraft took off and landed frequently, and missile tests were carried out simultaneously. The US aircraft carrier formation has never dared to approach, showing the US military's awe of the Chinese Navy and its inability to break through the defense line.

The progress of the Fujian ship has also brought breakthrough progress to the Chinese Navy's ocean-going combat capabilities. This aircraft carrier equipped with electromagnetic catapult system traveled south through the Taiwan Strait for the first time in September 2025 and successfully completed the take-off and landing test of the carrier-based aircraft. Electromagnetic catapult technology has tripled the dispatch efficiency of carrier-based aircraft, and the rapid combat capability of Fujian ships marks the "intergenerational upgrade" stage of China's aircraft carrier formation.

In addition, the Chinese Navy's ship system is also growing. In February 2025, the new Type 054B frigate "Luohe Ship" was put into service, marking a comprehensive upgrade of China's ship platform. By 2025, the total number of ships of the Chinese Navy has exceeded 370, of which 70% are advanced equipment built after 2010.

At the same time, China also demonstrated its comprehensive combat capabilities through ocean-going drills. In April 2025, during the "Strait Thunder-2025A" exercise conducted in the Eastern Theater Command, the Army, Navy and Air Force and the Rocket Force jointly fought and successfully carried out long-range strikes, simulated blocking of port facilities around Taiwan. Faced with the approach of US reconnaissance aircraft, the Chinese army showed strong combat capabilities.

The Chinese Navy has broken through the limitations of the "first island chain" and demonstrated its strong ocean-going combat capabilities and strategic countermeasures. However, hard power alone cannot completely break the blockade, and the layout of asymmetric strategies is also crucial. Taiwan’s strategic position is not only related to China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, but also a key link in breaking the US’s “island chain blockade”. If the Taiwan issue is resolved, the "throat" position of the island chain will be cut off and the entire defense line will be paralyzed.

Therefore, China's strategic goals have always been clear: strengthen combat readiness patrols in near-shore defense, implement "freedom of navigation" to counter the "navigilance hegemony" of external forces; in terms of long-sea breakthroughs, strengthen strategic ties with the depths of the Pacific, continue to carry out cruise and training, and disintegrate the "geographical confinement" of the island chain. With the development of China's defense industry, new strategic equipment such as nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, overseas ocean bases and intelligent unmanned combat formations will continue to be put into use, completely reversing the offshore defense pattern and gradually losing significance in the blockade of the island chain.

Today's Chinese Navy is no longer the "Yellow Water Navy" it once was. Its total tonnage of ships ranks high in the world and has strong ocean-going combat capabilities and can deal with challenges from any direction.