Author: Bill Hayton

The book explains why the world can’t afford to be indifferent to the simmering conflict in the South China Sea.

China’s rise has upset the global balance of power, and the first place to feel the strain is Beijing’s back yard: the South China Sea. 

For decades tensions have smoldered in the region, but today the threat of a direct confrontation among superpowers grows ever more likely. This important book is the first to make clear sense of the South Sea disputes. 

Bill Hayton, a journalist with extensive experience in the region, examines the high stakes involved for rival nations that include Vietnam, India, Taiwan, the Philippines, and China, as well as the US, Russia, and others. 

Hayton also lays out the daunting obstacles that stand in the way of peaceful resolution, according to a review on goodreads.com.

The book offers stories of individuals who have shaped current conflicts. 

Hayton makes understandable the complex history and contemporary reality of the South China Sea.

He underscores its crucial importance as the passageway for half the world’s merchant shipping and one-third of its oil and gas.

Whoever controls these waters controls the access between Europe, the middle east, South Asia, and the pacific.