Is China provoking an Asian war?

Beijing is trying to push its neighbors out of the oil-rich South China Sea, and one think-tank warns that the tensions could soon boil over

A Chinese warship (front) and Japanese vessel sail near southern Japan: Chinese ships have reportedly harassed neighboring countries during patrol.
(Image credit: REUTERS/KYODO)

An Australian think tank is warning that China's aggressive patrolling in the South China Sea could ignite a war. Chinese ships have harassed — and even allegedly rammed — ships from Vietnam and the Philippines, turning the waters into "a danger zone," says the Lowy Institute report. Though China claims sovereignty over the South China Sea, other nations have staked claims to parts of it, including islands perched atop big oil and natural gas deposits. (The sea is sometimes referred to as the "Second Persian Gulf.") With so much at stake, is war inevitable?

All sides are certainly preparing for the worst: "China is indeed serious" about its claims on the disputed islands, says Mark Valencia at The Japan Times, even though its legal case is weak, and its bullying is undermining its recent "charm offensive" toward its neighbors. And the other countries involved are in no position to back down: Vietnam is holding live-fire drills and "rare anti-China protests" are erupting in Hanoi and Manila. "At this point, all one can say is hold on to your hat."

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