Asian Waters: The Struggle Over the South China Sea & the Strategy of Chinese Expansion
book by Humphrey Hawksley; review by Susan Froetschel
19/6/2018
China ranks 11th among countries with the most coastline, well after Indonesia, Russia, the Philippines and Japan. Supported by the US-led international security and trade rules, China has steadily risen to become Asia’s largest economy and home to the continent’s most powerful navy. “Embedded in China’s thinking is securing itself against foreign intervention,” explains BBC foreign correspondent and longtime YaleGlobal contributor Humphrey Hawksley in Asian Waters. Only the United States could take China on. Hawksley describes conflicts throughout the Asia Pacific region, explaining how China plots long-term strategies while US policies shift abruptly under disparate leaders. In her review, Susan Froetschel warns that over-reach could treacherous for any nation hoping to dominate Asia Pacific waters.