Description
Academic literature is abundant in studies focused on Chinese presence in the oceans, except for the North Atlantic. Besides the geographical distance, this can be mostly ascribed to the circumstance that historically speaking the latter has been a putative 'Mare Nostrum' of the US. By taking the theory of social evolution as conceptual lenses, this article examines the growing Chinese assertiveness at sea, while discussing its implications for an incremental China's presence in the North Atlantic as an expected natural development. Seen through the lenses of the theory of social evolution applied to the domain of IR, the Chinese incursions in the North Atlantic will enable one to challenge the limitations underlying the depiction of the North Atlantic as a US 'Mare Nostrum' in order to underline the idea that there are no forbidden waters, just pragmatic interests. The expansion of the Panama Canal, the increasing Chinese interest in the construction of a deep-water port on Terceira Island (Azores, Portugal), and the use of the port of Sines (Portugal) as an Atlantic gateway to continental Europe are illustrative examples that allow one to conclude that China's interests in the North Atlantic are not qualitatively different from Beijing's interests and naval assertiveness in other oceans - it is rather a matter of time.
