[Michael Morgan]

The South China Sea is considered an extremely unstable region of the planet. This opinion was born due to territorial conflicts between Asian countries. Spratly Islands are the subject of the dispute in the region. Among the countries that dispute the ownership of the islands are even the United States, which does not reduce tension in the region. The question of whether to sacrifice economic and diplomatic relations for the sake of a not so resource-rich piece of land is still relevant.

[Robert Urbanek]

I have to wonder about those artificial islands China has created to lay claim to surrounding waters. Won't rising sea levels caused by climate change eventually erode those islands?

[Patrickov]

Apart from resources, China's thought also includes a claim / hold on the important trade route at its doors, which IMHO is more important.

Of course, the matter is that they are not even good at holding their own ass. For instance, Hong Kong is exactly at the door of this open sea area. The Chinese's failure in taming the place means they are going to have trouble getting hold of the sea beyond, no less because foreign powers are now roaming the place more frequently, nominally in support of Hongkongers.