China shares a border with 14 countries on the Eurasian continent, where it must contend with Europe, Russia and India. At the same time, China has a coastline that extends over 14,000 km and includes close to 7,000 islands. Here in the maritime region, China has had confrontations with the United States, Japan and India.
Considering that 11 of China's provinces, special province-level municipalities and autonomous regions border the sea, it is fair to say that China is, in fact, two-thirds a continental state and one-third a maritime state.
Thus China must manage the geopolitical conflicts presented by both the continent and the sea. Over the long course of Chinese history, there is one consistent pattern. When China has been menaced from the continent (i.e., from the north), the south has preserved the peace. When China has faced a maritime threat (i.e., from the south), the north has used methods of pacification to stabilize the situation.