Collision course: China and US make waves in South China Sea

摘要

An altercation in the South China Sea is just the latest maritime spat between the world's two biggest defence spenders. Michael Perkinson considers how China's plans for southwards power projection are likely to increasingly conflict with US interests in the region.rnSixty-five nautical miles southeast of the resort town of Sanya on the southern coast of China's Hainan Island, the ocean floor drops off considerably and the water depth increases dramatically. This geographic distinc-tionmakes mapping the ocean floor vital for undersea operations and anti-submarine warfare.rnIt is unsurprising, then, that the US Navy has prioritised surveillance of the area. However, given that Sanya is also the site of a major nuclear submarine base being constructed by China, Beijing is less eager for the United States to survey the maritime region, and with it the movement of its submarines. This difference of opinion helps to explain an incident on 8 March when the lead ship in the US Navy's newest class of undersea surveillance ships, USNS Impeccable, was confronted by five Chinese ships while within China's exclusive economic zone (EEZ).