What does China think about Force Design 2030.

via Proceedings. 

According to Tianying, the reconnaissance fight requires the integrated use of space, air, and sea assets to continuously conduct focused and close surveillance of the waters and airspace around Taiwan, especially nearby islands. Despite potential difficulties in detecting distributed, low-signature forces, the range of their deployments will be dictated largely by the maximum range of HIMARS and antiship missiles. These must be deployed within several hundred kilometers of the island of Taiwan or the mainland if they are to interfere with a Chinese attempt at armed unification. Potential deployment areas include Japan’s Sakishima Islands (the southernmost end of the Ryukyu island chain, including the islands of Miyako and Yaeyama), the Babuyan Islands (a Philippine archipelago located in the Luzon Strait), other strait-adjacent islands in the first island chain, and potentially even Pratas Atoll (controlled by Taiwan). The author argues that areas farther from this region are not significant for PLA operations focused on Taiwan.

Furthermore, Tianying claims it will be difficult for EABs to stay hidden in the first island chain. Islands are fixed positions, and China’s growing constellation of high-resolution observation satellites, with resolutions of 0.5 meters or less, should be capable of identifying maritime surface and ground targets.14 Even if Marines can avoid satellite detection, useful locations are within range of the PLA’s aerial reconnaissance and surveillance capabilities. The PLA’s growing unmanned aerial vehicle inventory provides long-endurance observation, monitoring, tracking, and strike capabilities from hundreds of kilometers away. These can be used to monitor likely EAB sites adjacent to the near seas, fill in gaps of satellite coverage, and guide PLA long-range precision-guided weapons. Equipped with only light air defenses, he argues, EAB forces that are found can be targeted quickly by numerous land, sea, or air-based fires.15

Here