Rumors of War - Kings of the East

China's state tabloid denounces U.S. 'arrogance,' calls for weapons buildup - UPI.com
UPI reports: "China's state tabloid is calling for the expansion of defense spending on nuclear weaponry in response to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's critical stance toward Beijing. The editorial published Wednesday in the Global Times comes at a time when China is imposing a penalty on an unnamed U.S. automaker for monopolistic behavior. The state newspaper suggested Beijing should not be pushed out by a militarily powerful United States."

U.S. warns China about South China Sea aggression - UPI.com
UPI reports: "The commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific sought to reassure worried allies and tell leaders in China that the United States will not allow the South China Sea to be blocked off. [...] The Chinese have been constructing artificial reefs in the South China Sea expected to be used as military bases, in addition to chasing other ships out of the waterway and violating what nations in the region claim as their own territorial waters."

Comment: I don't think it's inevitable but there is very high likelihood that the next great war will be between the U.S. and China. The U.S. has become accustomed to fighting small wars against weak opponents but China is a near-peer competitor and the scale and damage of such a war would be huge. Let's hope calmer heads prevail. Perhaps under Trump we will have more trade and less conflict?