Chinese militarisation should raise a red flag

China’s quietly emerging hegemony in the South China Sea has heightened concerns of the region’s smaller countries and sets a dangerous precedent, writes Brahma Chellaney

Since late 2013, China has been engaged in the frenzied creation of artificial islands and the militarisation of the South China Sea. This amounts to an alarming quest for control over a strategically crucial corridor through which €5tn in trade flows each year. But what is even more shocking — not to mention dangerous — is that China has incurred no international costs for its behaviour.

Of course, the international community has a lot on its plate nowadays, not least a massive refugee crisis fuelled by chaos in the Middle East. But the reality is that, as long as China feels free to manoeuvre without consequence, it will continue to do so, fuelling tensions with its neighbours that could easily turn into all-out conflict, derailing Asia’s rise.