China's "Electromagnetic Kill Zone" Reshapes South China Sea Power Balance

By manipulating the electromagnetic spectrum, it said, the CCP has applied its authoritarian logic approach to warfare, posing a challenge to US power projection and creating instability across the Indo-Pacific.

"China's transformation of the South China Sea into an electromagnetic battlespace represents one of the most assertive and troubling steps in its long campaign to dominate the Indo-Pacific. What began as a series of artificial island constructions has now evolved into a sophisticated electronic warfare hub, designed not merely to monitor but to actively contest and neutralise US and allied military power. This development is not accidental or reactive; it is the product of deliberate planning by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the central brain of the state, which has long sought to fuse military modernisation with geopolitical ambition," a report in Myanmar media outlet 'Mizzima News' detailed.

"The result is a 'kill zone' that tilts the strategic balance in China's favour while undermining the stability of one of the world's most contested waterways. Satellite imagery and independent reports confirm that China has quietly expanded its electronic warfare infrastructure across Fiery Cross, Mischief, and Subi reefs. These installations include monopole antennas, mobile jamming vehicles, radomes, and fortified emplacements, all designed to give the People's Liberation Army (PLA) control over the electromagnetic spectrum. Such capabilities allow China to jam communications, disrupt radar, and geolocate foreign forces, effectively blinding adversaries in contested waters," it mentioned.

According to the report, the CCP's heavy investment in these systems between 2023 and 2025 reflects a deliberate strategy to undermine the US advantages in networked warfare and to create conditions that threaten the effectiveness of US carrier strike groups.

"Critically, this is not just about military hardware. It is about the CCP's vision of power projection. The Party has long understood that dominance in the electromagnetic domain is as decisive as control of the seas themselves. By fusing artificial island bases with mobile jammers and shipborne kill webs, China has created a layered defence that can paralyse U.S. reconnaissance and targeting systems," it stated.

"This is a direct challenge to the nervous system of modern US military operations, which depend on satellites, sensors, and seamless connectivity. The CCP's assertiveness here is not defensive - it is offensive, designed to reshape the rules of engagement in the Indo-Pacific," it further noted.

- IANS