Because China must import vast quantities of oil through the Malacca Strait, that sea lane has become a central element in the country’s security strategy. For this reason, China is attempting to use economic and military aid as leverage to improve relations even with countries with which it has had military confrontations with in the past, most prominently Vietnam and the Philippines.
印尼将会不可避免地卷入中美两国在对至关重要的马六甲海峡的影响力上的拉锯战。因为中国必须通过马六甲海峡进口大量的石油，所以这条海上通道已经成为该国安全战略中的核心元素。出于这一原因，中国正试图以经济和军事援助为杠杆，与甚至在过去有过军事对抗的国家改善关系。其中最明显的莫过于越南和菲律宾。