China has so far not acted in an aggressive manner toward shipping in the South China Sea, but the very potential of action creates a clear threat to the economies of Japan and South Korea.
Nowhere is that more evident than in President Xi Jinping's "nine-dash" declaration, through which Beijing claims sovereignty over almost all the South China Sea.
And of all the countries with cause to be concerned about that claim, perhaps none have more on the line than Japan and South Korea.
For Japan and South Korea, the threat to their supply chains and energy imports is a far more real and present issue.
Even in a non-wartime situation, China has taken the position that the South China Sea is a controlled territory rather than open international waters under Chinese guardianship.
Persons:
Kevin Klowden, Xi Jinping's
Organizations:
Milken Institute, weekend's
Locations:
China, South China, Japan, South Korea, Ukraine, East, East Asia, Beijing, Spratly, United States