But Chinese leaders have repeatedly emphasized that China prefers to rise or develop peacefully, and they have little incentive to abandon their current “peaceful” approach so long as they are continuously able to achieve their objectives without resorting to violence.

So long as the U.S. defense community continues to be mired in a debate over the merits of ASB versus a blockade approach, China will succeed in its peaceful rise to hegemony.

Zachary Keck is associate editor of The Diplomat. Follow him on Twitter @ZacharyKeck.

Images: U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy/Flickr.