However, while nations like Vietnam and Malaysia are obviously too small to confront China by themselves, American support and cooperation among those countries can ensure a balance of power. While this flimsy evidence does not have much ground in contemporary international norms or laws, China has disregarded this and continues to stand by its claims.īut yet, international conventions be damned, as other than economic collapse or a significant decline, China is set to dominate the region. China claims over the majority of the sea, using a dubious nine-dash map (first issued by the ROC in the mid-20th century) that supposedly shows that China historically had control of many islets in the sea. Kaplan outlines China’s rising military strength and capabilities, which last week’s news of China launching its home-built and second aircraft carrier provided a reminder of. Asia’s Cauldron – The South China Sea and the End of a Stable Pacific by Robert D Kaplan looks at this potential theater of war and the geopolitics surrounding it. The nation that I am referring to above is China, which has expended a lot of effort in occupying islets and reefs in the sea that even extend into other countries’ waters. It is also rich in underground petroleum deposits.

Surrounded by multiple nations, but heavily contested by one that is furthest away from it, the sea is a vital conduit for regional trade with over $5 trillion worth of shipping passing through it each year. The South China Sea has been the biggest flash point in Asia for the past few years.

Asia's Cauldron by Robert D. Kaplan