Showdown Now Looming Over the South China Sea

The showdown over the South China Sea began Tuesday when an international court in The Hague declared that China’s claims to 90% of the world’s critical trade route are bogus. Just like an old-time Western, the lesser-armed folks in town—in this case including Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam—have scurried off into the buildings lining Main Street. They’ve closed the shutters, leaving them open just enough to peek nervously as China and the United States prepare for a confrontation.

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