The U.S.-China Confrontation Takes On a New Dimension
First it was trade. Then came the exclusion from military exercises.
If China’s intentions in the South China Sea weren’t quite clear, this month should have removed doubt. News reports said China had installed anti-ship cruise missiles and surface-to-air missile systems on the disputed Spratly Islands—and had also built 400 buildings that can accommodate its military forces on a reef there. Then, China said it had landed bombers on manmade islands in disputed waters in preparation for what it called “the battle for the South China Sea.” It then emerged that a bomber landed on an island in the disputed Paracels.
Taken individually, China’s actions might indicate a geopolitical game of chicken wherein Beijing tests its neighbors over territory they
