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Why Trump Has Gotten Extra Tough in Monitoring China at Sea

Ralph Jennings

   TAIPEI, TAIWAN - U.S. President Donald Trump is getting more aggressive
   toward Chinese activity in a disputed Asian sea compared to his
   predecessors, because the U.S. government fears China has expanded too
   far to overlook, analysts in the region believe.

   The U.S. government has stepped up military support over the past two
   years for countries that contest Chinese claims to the South China Sea.
   In one recent case, on May 23, officials in the Philippines said they
   planned to acquire U.S.-made P-3 "Orion" surveillance and
   anti-submarine aircraft after the United States retires them.

   U.S. Navy ships have also sailed the South China Sea 11 times under
   Trump as part of a program called Freedom of Navigation Operation, or
   FONOP. The ships monitor Chinese activity and are quietly welcomed by
   China's rivals in Asia.

   "I'm not sure Trump sees the South China Sea differently than his
   predecessors did, but things have certainly been getting worse there
   year by year, as Beijing reclaims more land and further militarizes its
   assets," said Sean King, vice president of Park Strategies political
   consultancy in New York. "Trump's FONOPs are in fact, maybe, too little
   too late."

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