As tensions continue to mount in the waters surrounding the contested islands of the South China Sea, a US navy aircraft carrier conducted exercises in the region on August 17. This came after the Trump administration hardened the US’s longstanding neutral position on China’s maritime claims in the South China Sea.
After all its posturing, the US is struggling to build a coalition against China. In this article in The Conversation, Dr Pak Lee and Anisa Heritage look at the Trump administration’s actions – and results – in the disputed area with reference to their book “Order, Contestation and Ontological Security-Seeking in the South China Sea”,