This bird eye view shows the coral reefs in China’s Xisha Islands, South China Sea. [Photo/Xinhua] Remarks at the 34th Asia-Pacific Roundtable

The situation in the South China Sea is evolving from stability to chaos this year due to a combination of factors in the region—a new round of policy changes in the United States since President Biden took office, the potential rise of anti-Duterte and pro-US forces in the Philippines because of the narrowing window for the consultations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) and changes in its domestic politics in the near future, and China’s growing and diverse capacity to safeguard its rights to the South China Sea.…