As the South China Sea situation develops, it is becoming a key theater in the ongoing geopolitical battle between the United States and China. There is no doubt that these two nations will remain in conflict with one another, at least figuratively, for the remainder of the 21st century, as both China and the United States have established themselves as economic powerhouses.
There is a huge debate regarding the way that this conflict will ultimately work out, but the existence of it is not seriously debated. The coming prominence of China was predicted by Zbgniew Brzezinski in his magnum opus, The Grand Chessboard, and many of the geopolitical themes that Brzezinski floated have indeed come to fruition at the beginning of the 21st century.
Meanwhile, China continues to implement the tactic of ordnance-free naval combat in the South China Sea, as its imperialistic strategy in the region develops. This has been evident for at least 12 months, since back in 2014 a significant flotilla of PRC escort vessels were utilized in order to protect a significant Chinese oil rig in the region. The Chinese policy at this time could certainly be considered hawkish, as it involved ramming Vietnamese boats, ultimately sinking one and forcing others to retire from the area in order to seek repair.
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