Basically, the exercise involves the naval blockade of China in the Malacca Strait, Sunda Strait, and Lombok Strait; and assault landings on islands. A naval blockade of the straits in the South China Sea could force China’s economy to grind to a halt. This is the main reason why China built those artificial islands, three of which contain runways that are three kilometers long. So, what would a worst-case scenario in the South China Sea look like? It will involve not only China in the South China Sea.

Source: Manila Times May 10, 2017 16:30 UTC