Abstract：The sea power structure in East Asia evolves as regional history marched on. The existing structure has experienced reconstructions for three times. The first one happened in the period from the early 16th century to the 20th century, during which it transformed from the hierarchy dominated by China to the balanced structure shared by western powers. The second from 1930s to 1940s, which presents the bipolar balance dominated by the U.S. and the Soviet Union derived from multi⁃polar balance. The third one from the late 1980s to the early 1990s, when the structure began to develop form the bipolar balance to the unipolar hegemony dominated by the U.S. The current sea power structure in East Asia is still subject to the unipolar hegemony, while containing the balance of powers. It is a new trend of the evolution of sea power structure in East Asia that such a factor of power balance is reinforced with the rise of China’s sea power.
2017, Vol. 25 
