The South and East China Seas have become highly contested regions due to their strategic importance in international trade and global supply-demand dynamics. In this sense, the increasing Chinese maritime assertiveness in the region aims to safeguard economic development, critical shipping lanes, and uphold territorial claims. This assertiveness clashes directly with the countries conforming to the so-called first island chain, stretching from Japan to the Malay Peninsula, and involves  territorial disputes and geopolitical tensions.