As the U.S. Navy and rival Asian claimants respond to China's building of military-grade infrastructure on disputed islands, heightened risks of conflict raise alarm bells over destabilization in a vital arena of global trade. The world awaits the deliberation of the Hague on the matter, but its decision will have little impact on China's actions, which are anchored by Beijing's grand ambitions to secure an unrivaled commercial empire throughout Eurasia and Africa.
The tropical warm waters of the South China Sea betray an idyllic calm, but the region has become the center of a great international flash point. Developing what were once half-submerged reefs into sizable islands, China has frenetically reclaimed and built 1,295 hectares of new territory on the islands within its control. In addition, it has built sizable military and civilian infrastructure that have decisively tipped the fragile balance of power in the hotly contested region.
China's ambitions have provoked the ire of rival claimants like the Philippines and Vietnam, while stoking tensions with the United States. However, despite loud condemnation, China has refused to bend to pressure, and instead has pushed forward with its ambitious plans of power projection, causing many to fear the terrible fallout that may occur in an atmosphere fraught with heightened tensions.