Already hotly contested, the South China Sea is seeing an uptick in movement since certain European powers have gotten involved. It remains to be seen how far Europe is willing to go in shaping the maritime disputes along its preferences and provisions of international law.

A series of moves by the United States and the words of its high-ranking officials all point in the same direction: The U.S. is doing its utmost to contain China across the board for the 21st century.

Over a century ago, World War I showed the world how crowded alliances and geopolitical tension could ignite into all-out war. Now in the 21st Century, posturing on both sides of the Pacific mirror the mistakes made by yesterday’s empires.

The important waterway could be the first tile to fall in a Sino-U.S. conflict. In openly ramping up an interventionist policy and increasing its pressure on China, the United States is increasing the risk of a military confrontation.

Since the 1970s, the US has tread a fine line of pursuing neutrality on claims to the South China Sea. The Trump administration, however, looks set to upend that policy.

In a word, no. China has never recognized the arbitration under the UNCLOS treaty as valid. Meanwhile, the United States continues to poison relations by opposing everything China does.

The United States is increasing pressure on China in the South China Sea, by sending two of its largest ships into the area. Beijing has no alternative but to respond in kind.

As COVID-19 continues to stretch nations’ resources thin all over the world, South China Sea disputes continue, emboldening ASEAN to set the rules for how these disputes will be resolved.

China has been taking exception to the US’s long-running freedom of navigation operations in recent years. But as a rising maritime power, it is in China’s best interests to adhere to an enduring and stable order at sea.

Beneath the surface of the political gamesmanship are bedrock principles of jurisprudence that were overlooked or trampled by the Arbitral Tribunal.