China's ambitions in the South China Sea is no different from Japan in WWII

China's ambitions in the South China Sea is no different from WWII Japan

China has been aggressively building up its military might and staking claims over islands in the South China Sea.

The South China Sea disputes involve both island and maritime claims among several sovereign states within the region, namely the Nation of Brunei, the People's Republic of China, the Republic of China (Taiwan), Malaysia, Indonesia, the Republic of the Philippines, and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

The territorial disputes involve the following:

The nine-dash line area claimed by the Republic of China, later People's Republic of China which covers most of the South China sea and overlaps the exclusive economic zone claims of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
Maritime boundary along the Vietnamese coast between PRC, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
Maritime boundary north of Borneo between China, Malaysia, Philippines, and Taiwan.
Islands, reefs, banks and shoals in the South China Sea, including the Paracel Islands, the Pratas Islands, Macclesfield Bank, Scarborough Shoal and the Spratly Islands between China, Taiwan, and Vietnam, and parts of the area also contested by Malaysia and the Philippines.
Maritime boundary in the waters north of the Natuna Islands between China, Indonesia and Taiwan[6]
Maritime boundary off the coast of Palawan and Luzon between China, the Philippines, and Taiwan.
Maritime boundary, land territory, and the islands of Sabah, including Ambalat, between Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
Maritime boundary and islands in the Luzon Strait between the China, the Philippines, and Taiwan.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Territorial_disputes_in_the_South_China_Sea

The contested region is widely speculated to be rich in oil, natural gas deposits and also sea produce. Also, establishing the maritime boundaries would mean controlling the sea trading routes.

As the nationalist movements in China become increasingly widespread,, the young and web-savvy Chinese netizens have become increasingly vocal in their support for the Chinese government's antagonistic approach in the disputes through the use of social media. Even celebrities have taken to posting on weibo (China's equivalent of facebook) to state their stands. In July, public figures in the entertainment circle, including Fan Bingbing, Tiffany Chen (Charles Heung's wife) and Hu Jun posted a picture with the caption: China, not even a bit less (sic). Loosely translated, it means that China is adamant and will not give up sovereignty over the disputed maritime boundaries and islands.

Earlier in May, a Pentagon report says China has reclaimed more than 3,200 acres of land in the south-eastern South China Sea. But the country’s focus has shifted to developing and weaponizing those man-made islands so it will have greater control over the maritime region without resorting to armed conflict. On these man-made islands, China has excavated deep channels, created and dredged harbors (for warships), and constructed communications, logistics and intelligence gathering facilities.

More recently (In December), Fox News first reported China is getting ready to deploy another missile defense system from a port in southeast China. China also flew a long-range bomber around the South China Sea for the first time since March 2015 and days after Mr. Trump’s phone call with his Taiwan counterpart. The US intelligence believes that the hundreds of surface-to-air missiles that the Chinese military has recently shipped to Hainan Island will eventually be deployed on the man-made islands.

This has led to protests by the collection of countries involved in the claims. During the ASEAN summit held in Laos, the South China Sea row dominated the discussion. While countries involved in the SCS spate has been voicing frustration over China's blatant disregard for its neighbours nor the international community, ASEAN has yet to issue any joint statement nor collective protest over China's military developments in the SCS.

China's brazen defiance of the Hague ruling shows that the up and coming superpower is not afraid of flexing its military and economic might and will readily resort to provocative actions to defend its purported territorial rights - and this is eerily similar to Japan's aims at dominating Asia and the Pacific.

ASEAN and US will need to take a firm stand against the region's up and rising powerhouse and curb its influence and antagonistic approaches. At the same time, the awakened Dragon has not shown the willingness to back down, nor hesitate provocations in order to "defend" its sovereignty.

With the new US president elect Donald Trump calling for a renewed arms race, a regional war could be the fuse that eventually erupts into a new World War.