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I do not think Obama has the will or ability to either influence or counter the massive Reclamation Effots China is doing in the South China Sea.

See:

my Flickr Photo Album on the South China Sea

for a lot of pictures and more info.

Those islands they are building are influential, and they are building mutually supportive air bases with jettys, piers, etc.

But, they are static places which could be easily targeted if it ever came to it.

Short of us attacking them for simply building these...we are not going to stop them. it is basically happening in their Caribbean, and they have the money, the equipment, and the will to keep on doing it.

In essence what they are doing is taking the reefs that they occupy, most of which either barely above the high tide line, or n0ot at all...and dredging missions of tons of sand onto them and creating islands...and then improving them with structures, vegetation, etc. so they can have these mutually supportive bases.

The only way we could counter it...and it would take leadership, salesmanship, influence, and will...none of which Obama and his administration has...is to form a coalition with Austrralia, Japan, and India, and then provide assistance through loans and engineering firms to help Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, etc. counter the Chinese reclamation, with reclamation of their own so that their own influence jointly counters and equals the Chinese there on the ground (so to speak) in the SCS.

But Obama is incapable of this.

As it is...our new P-8As are getting some great exercise and experience. Our vessels are passing close...and the Chinese just keep on building.

Unless someone miscalculates in a major way...there will not be any fight. the Chinese do not need to. they are using commercial vessels and engineering to do this reclamation and building...and then populating the new islands.