Since late 2013, China has been engaged in the frenzied creation of artificial islands and the militarization of the South China Sea. This amounts to an alarming quest for control over a strategically crucial corridor through which $5.3 trillion in trade flows each year. But what is even more shocking—not to mention dangerous—is that China has incurred no international costs for its behavior. Of course, the international community has a lot on its plate nowadays, not least a massive refugee crisis fueled by chaos in the Middle East. But the reality is that, as long as China feels free to maneuver without consequence, it will continue to do so, fueling tensions with its neighbors that could easily turn into an all-out conflict, derailing Asia’s rise.

Unaccountable China. (2015, December 21). Philippine Daily Inquirer p. A14.