China’s activities in its surrounding seas may be as much a recognition of its weaknesses as an assertion of strengths. What is certain is that the East and South China Seas will continue to be sources of contention in the immediate future.

U.S. Air Force B-52 bombers have carried out training in the vicinity of the South China Sea and the southern Japanese island of Okinawa, the Air Force said on Friday, in what a Chinese newspaper linked to China’s drills near Taiwan.

The problem with the Freedom of Navigation operations by the U.S., China-US Focus contributor Richard Javad Heydarian says, is that it’s provocative enough to give China pretext to further militarize the dispute, but not robust enough to deter China from dominating the area.

China-US Contributor Richard Javad Heydarian speaks on why the mid-level powers in the South China Sea need to "step up to the plate."

China, the United States, and Japan are putting new emphasis on expanding their amphibious military capabilities, to both seize and defend strategic islands if needed. We may be heading towards an amphibious arms race in the Western Pacific.

The developments in the South China Sea carry far-reaching strategic implications for the Indo-Pacific and for the international maritime order. They also highlight that the biggest threat to maritime peace and security comes from unilateralism.

The “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” strategy is aimed at deterring Chinese coercion by deepening alliances and strategic partnerships. To this end, Japan has enhanced military cooperation with partners such as the United States and India to balance against Beijing’s more assertive foreign and security policy under Xi Jinping.

In a telltale sign of improving bilateral relations, the Philippines and China have announced a preliminary agreement to pursue a joint development agreement in the South China Sea.

The collapse of the TPP was a result of discrepancies at three levels.

The pictures will not change China’s position, nor are they likely to shape the U.S. response.