Brent Scowcroft Center Senior Fellow Robert Manning writes for the Global Times on China’s activities in the South China Sea and the US response:
The United States is considering disinviting China from the 2016 RIMPAC military exercise, the world’s largest with twenty-two nations participating. Why? Mainly to show Washington’s displeasure over China’s activities in the South China Sea. But the stance may make the bilateral relationship more complex.
A number of satellite photos showing China’s PLA building ports and airstrips on expanded reefs and shoals has sparked a US debate about how to respond. Disinviting China from the next RIMPAC in 2016 is being suggested by some, including Senator John McCain, chair of the Senate Committee on Armed Services.