Will Cannon Sound Soon Boom in the South China Sea?

Yet another article about rocky relations with China over the contested Spratly Islands:

The November 15th New York Times article by Andrew Jacobs titled “Dispute Over Bare Islands Underscores Philippines’ Rock Relations with China” quoted the state-owned Chinese newspaper Global Times:

“If these countries don’t want to change their ways with China, they will need to prepare for the sound of cannons,” wrote the unapologetically nationalistic Global Times, referring to the 750 islands and spits of land in the South China Sea, known as the Spratly Islands, which are also contested by Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam.

The article goes on to note that the following day “hundreds of American and Philippine Marines scurried from rubber dinghies and stormed into the adjacent jungle with machine guns blazing.”

When Mitch and I first started writing about Lt. Commander Mollie Sanders and her exploits in the South China Sea, we knew this area was contested.

But in recent weeks this contested areas has frequently been in the news. This is a problem that is not going away.

As to whether and how soon “the sound of cannons” will be heard is dependent on several factors, including how serious China believes the U.S.’s commitment is to the area.

Given that this area is a major one for international sea trade, we can probably expect the U.S. to be very serious about keeping this area clear from Chinese dominance.

If the U.S. does not want to fight another war in the Pacific, actions sooner than later may be necessary.

For a limited time, get a FREE copy of the ebook LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS at Smashwords — chose the ebook format you want.

Learn about Phyllis’ fiction and nonfiction books – including her ebooks – at http://budurl.com/PZMbooks