Intersection with China, Spratley Showdown Brewing

CNN: The Spratlys are some 750 separate, uninhabited islands in the middle of the South China Sea. Most are more like rocks than islands, but their ownership has been fiercely contested over the last decade by China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Taiwan and Malaysia. All for good reason — the Spratlys sit off sizable reserves of oil and natural gas.

China isn’t just remaking the Spratlys. It’s preparing to defend its claims by force.