China (In General)

One component of US policy "rebalance" in Asia involves managing and contending with rather aggressive Chinese expansion and fortification efforts in the South China Sea. For example, one point of contention in the region involves Chinese incursions into Indonesian territorial waters in order to gain access lucrative fish reserves. International maritime law states that the 12 nautical miles surrounding any given nation is considered proprietary territory. China doesn't seem to care, and Indonesia doesn't seem too keen on enforcing its self-imposed mandate of sinking Chinese vessels that violate their maritime perimeters. The most drastic action taken by Indonesia thus far has been to detain a Chinese fishing vessel. Not very drastic at all. For an overview of the various claims on territory, click here.

China has competing claims with Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, the Philippines, and Taiwan alike. Of particular concern is Chinese development of the Spratly Islands. Harbors , gun installments, airstrips, and radar installments (facilitating the creation of an air defense identification zone if aggressive acts are considered necessary on their part) are a part of Chinese efforts in the region. Of particular note here is the Fiery Cross Reef.

The idea here is quick aerial and maritime intervention (blockade) of the surrounding region should it be deemed necessary and appropriate by Chinese authorities.

The Paracel Islands are also being developed. This island chain will also be fortified with a triple-layered defense system consisting of 2 differing SAM batteries (the first being the HQ-9, with a 30km flight altitude and a 200km range, as well as the short-ranged HQ-6, with a range of up to 20 km while flying as low as 10 meters above the surface).

In addition to all of this, China has developed cheap, accurate, "carrier-killing" anti-ship ballistic missiles capable of being fired from their shores, with an effective range of 3,500 to 5,000 km. This would cover the entirety of the South China Sea. In regards to China, parameters need to be set in a manner that would permit trade activity to continue unabated (as well as development of the region) while avoiding certain triggering activities that would be detrimental to all involved and concerned.

1) The refusal to obey international law and respect (see:leave and not return to) the 12 nautical miles surrounding any nation involved.

2) The enactment of a naval blockade in the South China Sea. 3) Opening fire upon any American sea or aircraft without justification. Should any of this occur, droughts can and should be enacted, specifically targeting the Chinese.

What about Chinese/Japanese relations?

Of note here is the Senkaku dispute. I propose sending a Naval peacekeeping contingent to the region to carry out the mission, of, well, peacekeeping and overseeing development and the equal allocation of resources in the disputed region.

US naval resources should patrol and monitor the area, but the notion of new bases in the region is something that ought to be reconsidered in the debate.

To maintain balance in an unstable region, some have hinted at placing nuclear weapons inside of Japan proper.

I suppose this is a possibility, but one might also consider placing ballistic missile-armed submarines in the region as an alternative. These may be removed as deemed necessary without resulting in some sort of permanent gift.

What about talks concerning North Korea and their ballistic missile/nuclear programs? I propose a settlement involving food in return for giving up these ambitions. Both the US and China have considerable influence here that might be leveraged in multilateral talks, and all reasonable avenues should be considered in pursuit of a workable deal. Hungry stomachs listen. (So supermarket shelves.) In a strategic Asian rebalance, dialogue with China remains a focal point, and will for years to come.