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The South China Sea has increasingly assumed an important place in the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) contingency plans for limited war. This is largely due to China's claim to the Spratly Islands — a sprawling archipelago which is contested in whole or in part by several other countries. The Spratlys constitute a significant test case for China's defence and foreign policies. Preparations for potential conflict over the Spratlys have already forced changes to the PLA Navy's force structure and doctrine. Yet, China's foreign policy is dictated by opposing, rather than straightforward, impulses: one driven by irredentism, while another seeks to give evidence of a responsible country among the community of nations in an increasingly interdependent world.