A crew member on the guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin keeps watch during a freedom of navigation operation near the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea on August 28. Photo: US Pacific Fleet A crew member on the guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin keeps watch during a freedom of navigation operation near the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea on August 28. Photo: US Pacific Fleet
A crew member on the guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin keeps watch during a freedom of navigation operation near the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea on August 28. Photo: US Pacific Fleet
Mark J. Valencia
Opinion

Opinion

Mark J. Valencia

South China Sea: how the US can head off an ugly showdown with China

  • Amid heightened tensions, the best scenario involves negotiations and power sharing. In the worst case, a clash leaves the region a cold-war zone, drives away oil and gas firms, and possibly splits Asean
  • Unless the US is ready for war, it must learn to accommodate China

Mark J. Valencia
Mark J. Valencia

Updated: 6:23am, 31 Aug, 2020

Why you can trust SCMP
A crew member on the guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin keeps watch during a freedom of navigation operation near the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea on August 28. Photo: US Pacific Fleet A crew member on the guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin keeps watch during a freedom of navigation operation near the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea on August 28. Photo: US Pacific Fleet
A crew member on the guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin keeps watch during a freedom of navigation operation near the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea on August 28. Photo: US Pacific Fleet
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Mark J. Valencia

Mark J. Valencia

Dr Mark J. Valencia is an internationally known maritime policy analyst, political commentator and consultant focused on Asia. He is the author or editor of some 15 books and more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles. Currently he is adjunct senior scholar at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies.