With China throwing its weight around in the South China Sea, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo rightly declared this month that the country’s aggressive claims to offshore resources in the area were “completely unlawful.” The message aligned the United States with international law in one of the world’s most critical waterways and showed support for the smaller coastal states threatened by Chinese bullying. The strategic importance of the South China Sea cannot be overstated.

China's claims to the South China Sea are unlawful. Now what?. (2020, July 29). BusinessWorld, S1/6.