South China Sea and China (2011-2017)

[Dayuhan]

You're right. If we lost the first line of barrier islands (Dayuhan, I know we don't own those islands but you know what I mean your protestations about semantics to the contrary), Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, the game would be over anyway. We would have to get good at groveling.

I don't think it's just semantics. It betrays an underlying assumption that those places must either be "ours" or "theirs".

Do you really think the Chinese intend to invade Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines?

Even in the very unlikely event that the Chinese did occupy all three, why would the US have to grovel? What's there that we need? It would suck for the Japanese, Taiwanese, and Filipinos, and it would certainly suck for me (not that I'm specially worried about it) but Americans could just sit back and watch the Chinese choke on trying to hold what they'd taken. Occupation is a pain in the a$$.