Analyzing China’s Security Policy in East Asia within the Framework of Offensive Realism (2013–2025)

China’s security policy has become a central theme in contemporary debates on International Relations and regional order in East Asia. Despite the extensive literature on China’s foreign policy, a significant research gap remains in explaining its security behavior through the lens of offensive realism. This study analyzes China’s evolving security policy in East Asia from 2013 to 2025, drawing on the theoretical foundations of offensive realism. Using a descriptive–analytical approach and relying on documentary sources, the research examines key components of China’s strategic transformation — including the Comprehensive National Security Doctrine (2014), the reform and modernization of the People’s Liberation Army, the centralization of political authority under Xi Jinping, and the growing link between security and geo-economics through the Belt and Road Initiative. The findings indicate that China has shifted from a defensive posture to a proactive, power-oriented strategy, seeking regional hegemony and redefining East Asia’s security order in its own favor. Moreover, China’s growing power has intensified regional security dilemmas and strategic competition with neighboring states and the United States. The study concludes that China’s contemporary security strategy represents a structural transition from defensive deterrence to offensive structural deterrence, signaling a long-term move toward a competitive and fragmented regional order in East Asia.