April 07, 2017

Weathering the Coming Storm in the South China Sea

Quite apart from the Trump-Xi summit, China and the United States are due for a showdown in the South China Sea. Beijing confronted the last two administrations with dangerous naval encounters designed to mark territorial claims and probe Washington’s political will. For George W. Bush, it was the Hainan Island Incident on April 1, 2001. For Barack Obama, it was the USNS Impeccable on March 9, 2009.

This history suggests that China should challenge U.S. military presence in the coming weeks.

Yet President Donald Trump is in his third month in office and still largely untested by Chinese leaders, who are using the Mar-a-Lago summit as a prime opportunity to size up the new American administration.  

Read the full article at The Diplomat.

  • Reports
    • May 21, 2025
    Regional and Global Responses to a Taiwan Contingency

    A contingency across the Taiwan Strait has the potential to reshape the Indo-Pacific and even global security environment. This report explores how states beyond the United St...

    By Jacob Stokes, Kareen Hart, Ryan Claffey & Thomas Corel

  • Reports
    • May 15, 2025
    Democracy in South Asia amid U.S. Aid Cuts

    The practice of democratic governance and the increased number of people across the world participating in national elections are positive trends that will help ensure governm...

    By Lisa Curtis, Kareen Hart & Keerthi Martyn

  • Podcast
    • May 15, 2025
    Lessons from the U.S.-China Trade War

    America and China have agreed to a 90-day truce of their month-long trade war, but the economic uncertainty has not yet ended. Beyond tariffs, the spat had begun spilling over...

    By Edward Fishman

  • Video
    • May 14, 2025
    Why China’s Amphibious ‘Invasion Platforms’ Are Troubling Sign for Taiwan

    Beijing’s new ships can land on beaches and link to form massive mobile piers. Analysts, including Tom Shugart from Center for a New American Security, say they’re intended to...

    By Tom Shugart

View All Reports View All Articles & Multimedia