I fail to see how our interest in the South China Sea is any more than our interest in, say, Crimea. The latter is a gigantic piece of land with millions of people living in it. The former is literally just some barren rocks. Granted, the Chinese should be cooperating with its neighbors in the region, but Trump is clearly having a double standard. He loathes China and loves Russia, even though the latter has been far more aggressive on the world stage. His latest moves show it's not just about economics, either.
No double standard. Why shouldn't Paleocons like Russia? If some secret society of Chinese orthodox Christians staged a coup and consolidated control of China, Trump's supporters would like China too.
I doubt it. Americans of all political stripes are divided between apathy and animosity for China, even though the country has merely taken advantage of trade deals we pushed
on them, to help raise their population from poverty. But only PNAC right-wingers actively push for a military confrontation.
