Concerns About South China Sea Disputes Continue

The Associated Press story by Alex Frangos in the November 9th Wall Street Journal titled “U.S. Navy Commander Calls for Greater Dialogue” began:

A top U.S. Navy commander in the Pacific warned about the dangers of minor disputes in the South China Sea blossoming into bigger crises, emphasizing the need for diplomatic and military dialogue in the region.

“I’m concerned about any tactical trigger with strategic implications,” said Vice Adm. Scott Swift, commander of the U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet, the heart of America’s naval presence in Asia.

And the November 10th Wall Street Journal article “U.S. to Build Up Military in Australia” by Laura Meckler began:

President Barack Obama will announce an accord for a new and permanent U.S. military presence in Australia when he visits next week, a step aimed at countering China’s influence and reasserting U.S. interest in the region, said people familiar with his plans…

The move could help the U.S. military, now concentrated in Japan and South Korea in Northeast Asia, to spread its influence west and south across the region, including the strategically and economically important South China Sea, which China considers as its sovereign territory.

As I’ve been writing about here, the disputes China has with numerous Southeast Asian countries over the suspected oil-rich South China Sea is not going to go away. Instead, the disputes are expected to escalate.

While the U.S. undertakes actions to help prevent the escalation, it remains to be seen how effective these actions will be.

As Lt. Commander Mollie Sanders learns in the ebook technothriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS, the remoteness of some of the South China Sea islands does not ensure peace for the region.

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