Are Chinese-American maritime relations running aground? The recent sinking of the South Korean corvette the Cheonan, most likely by China’s unruly client state North Korea, has led to the U.S.S. George Washington participating in naval exercises off the Korean coast. Heightening tensions, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, appearing at an ASEAN forum in Hanoi, challenged China’s long-standing claims to the Paracel and Spratly Islands—small reefs and assorted flecks of coral that happen to sit atop rich hydrocarbon stores in the South China Seas.
This week, the Sinica gang takes a lively look at Beijing and Washington’s maneuverings in China’s troubled coastal waters. Appearing with Kaiser are regulars Jeremy Goldkorn, Gady Epstein, and Bill Bishop. Joining us as well is special guest Stephanie Kleine-Ahlbrandt, the North East Asia Project Director for the International Crisis Group.