Has America Lost The Strategic Game In The South China Sea?

American Thinker ^ | 16 Jun, 2026 | Janet Levy

[MtnClimber]

Is this Chinese takeover the new reality? Or, can a coordinated effort by the U.S. and its allies challenge China’s hegemony in the region?

The Iran war and the fight for control of the Strait of Hormuz—through which vital oil cargo from Gulf countries feeds the global economy—is a reminder that America must not forget the South China Sea, another strategic region where China, a greater threat than Iran, has gained alarming control over many decades.

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has blatantly seized key points in the region and built a fortified military presence by constructing artificial islands on partially or fully submerged coral reefs in disputed waters. Today, the U.S. finds itself seeking permission to transit one of the world’s most critical trade routes, through which over 20% of global maritime trade (about $5.3 trillion annually) flows.

China claims the entire South China Sea—from Singapore and the Strait of Malacca in the southwest to the Taiwan Strait in the northeast—as its territory. This outrageous claim draws on ancient maps and takes the form of a U-shaped broken line (marked in green here), variously known as the Nine-, Ten-, or Eleven-Dash Line. Taiwan, Vietnam, and the Philippines have vehemently protested, and a tribunal under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, to which China is a signatory, ruled in 2016 that China’s claim has no legal basis.

Despite that, the Chinese advance in the region shows no sign of abating. This is because control of the South China Sea will enable greater power projection along the First Island Chain (marked in red here), which extends from Japan and Taiwan to Borneo and serves as a gateway to the greater Philippine Sea and the Pacific Ocean. It’s the very basis of Sino-American competition in the Indo-Pacific

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TOPICS: Business/Economy; Society
KEYWORDS: asia; beltandroad; chicoms; china; hailournewoverlords; no; surrendernow; thatsitwarsover; timetolearnchinese

[MtnClimber]

The first island chain perimeter (marked in red).

This cuts off the Straight of Malacca, one of the most important shipping routes in the world.

[equaviator]

Not being able to claim a victory doesn’t necessarily constitute having been defeated.

[Brian Griffin]

Because Trump allowed Iran to block the Strait of Hormuz, I believe the PRC has come to believe the US Navy is not able to defend its ships or Taiwan.

[Brian Griffin]

It is my understanding that the Japanese believe shifting production of Japanese companies out of the PRC is the best way of dealing with the PRC.

[dpetty121263]

“Not being able to claim a victory doesn’t necessarily constitute having been defeated.”

It is defeat in spite of your claim..

[equaviator]

Retreat is also one of those things. You come back to fight another day and that’s when you win.

[dpetty121263]

Meanwhile your enemy is emboldened and becomes much stronger...

[equaviator]

They might be stronger themselves but they’d have to be stronger than you by then. Strong enough to win unless you gain the upper hand and don’t let up. Then they could retreat and back and forth it goes. Sometimes you just have to outlast your enemy(s).

[odawg]

It appears to me that Trump is hindered in his efforts because he does not want to cripple the Iranian people for the entire next generation. On the other hand, the Ianian leaders, knowing this, are quite ready to exploit this type of Western value.

[bert]

No

[buckalfa]

"Because Trump allowed Iran to block the Strait of Hormuz, I believe the PRC has come to believe the US Navy is not able to defend its ships or Taiwan."

War and conflict are always teaching moments. The Iran adventure perhaps highlighted the US Navy's number one issue: number. Numbers are need to attack, defend, and to contain .

[libertylover]

I’m really curious as to why the Navy can’t keep the Strait open with or without Iran.

[LS]

Nope. We just got a deal with Indonesia and WE control the Strait of Malacca. Our deals with Philippines, NZ, and Australia control the rest.

Trump has quietly sealed EVERY escape hatch for the ChiComs: Panama, Hormuz, Malacca, and NATO controls the Skaggerat Kattegat. Oh, and Trump ALSO got a basing deal with Morocco so WE, not the Brits, now control the Strait of Gibraltar.

[MtnClimber]

The Red line on the map cuts off the normal shipping route at the line between Borneo and Vietnam so there would have to be a new route after the Malacca Straight (going west to east). I don’t think the rest of the world would put up with this, but that might not Stop China from trying. Going around south of Borneo and south of the Philippines could circumvent the red line too.