Rumors of War - Kings of the East

Pentagon: Beijing strengthening military grip on South China Sea islands - UPI.com
UPI reports: "China is expanding its presence in the South China Sea with new buildup on disputed islands, according to the Pentagon's 2017 survey of the Chinese military published Tuesday. Beijing's People's Liberation Army Navy is also expanding its fleet of submarines and aircraft carriers."

Comment: There doesn't seem to be anything new or noteworthy here, we already knew these details, the real story to me is how incremental this all is.  Eventually China will be in a position to declare sovereignty over the South China Sea and dare anyone to challenge them. At that point, the U.S. and Pacific allies will have to decide if it's worth starting WWIII over that waterway.  I'm not sure what the right answer is. If the allies challenge China, then WWIII starts. If they concede Chinese sovereignty then China would find encouragement to eventually declare their own Monroe Doctrine over the entire Pacific. Either answer would seem to lead to war between nuclear powers.