Areas Crucial to China's Overseas Interests
The concept of areas crucial to China's overseas interests was laid out in the 2015 white paper China's Military Strategy. With China's growing global involvement, protection of overseas interests has become an important issue that should be dealt with as part of China's military strategy.
Increasing openness has led to increasing vulnerabilities for China's overseas interests, including energy resources, strategic passageways, China's overseas entities, assets, and nationals. Naval escorts, evacuation of overseas Chinese nationals, HADR operations, and cooperation in areas crucial to China's overseas interests have thus become an important part of the military's mission to protect national interests and fulfill China's international obligations.
Protection of China's interests abroad is key to ensuring sustained national development in a globalized world. It also contributes to world and regional security and stability. Cooperation in areas crucial to China's overseas interests is not intended to exclude or target anyone, nor is it an attempt to seek spheres of influence or pursue military expansion.
海外利益攸關區
海外利益攸關區是指與海外利益存在客觀密切聯系的區域。2015年5月，中國發表《中國的軍事戰略》白皮書，提出“海外利益攸關區”概念。隨著中國國家利益的拓展，維護海外利益安全已經成為軍事戰略高度關注的重要問題。在中國不斷擴大全方位對外開放的過程中，中國海外能源資源、戰略通道安全和海外機構、人員、資產安全問題日益凸顯，開展海上護航、撤離海外公民、應急救援等海外行動和海外利益攸關區安全合作，成為中國軍隊維護國家利益和履行國際義務的重要方式。維護中國海外利益，是全球化時代保障國家可持續發展的需要，也有利于維護世界和地區安全穩定。中國的海外利益攸關區沒有排他性和對抗性，不謀求劃分勢力范圍和軍事擴張。
