Barely three weeks after the Vinson’s visit, the Vietnamese government bowed to Chinese pressure and cancelled a major oil drilling project in disputed South China waters. A simple issue lies at the heart of the problem: Beijing’s claim to sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea basin. China’s increasing confidence in asserting control over the South China Sea has clearly alarmed its neighbours, particularly the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei, all of whom have competing territorial claims over waters that China claims for itself. This kind of military tit for tat appears to be escalating; China now says it plans monthly military exercises in the South China Sea, a substantial increase. If/when that happens, the Philippines, along with the United States, will face a difficult decision about how best to respond.

Source: Irish Examiner March 29, 2018 23:03 UTC