A pro-China president in the Maldives is the moment Beijing has been waiting for to consolidate its expanding strategic naval footprint in the Indian Ocean.
The new aircraft carrier will replace an aging Russian model and assist India's Navy in conducting an increasing array of naval exercises with friendly nations.
China did little on its BRI pledges to Manila but the immediate provocation was its aggressive attacks near the Second Thomas Shoal in the Philippines EEZ.
With 20% of its coast controlled by a Chinese firm and a key naval base renovated with Chinese funds, Cambodia has become Beijing's chief regional extension.
China has been conducting non-kinetic "unrestricted warfare" against West for decades. The People's Liberation Army is only for if needed to finish things off.
China's massive Belt and Road initiative cost a trillion dollars and failed to achieve any goals. Now, Xi Jinping is recasting it as "small and beautiful."
Japan and India, supported by the sea power of their allies, can offer a much-needed antidote to China's expansionist designs for the Indian Ocean and beyond.
China's Belt and Road project has created enormous debt at home while funding poorly used infrastructure projects in countries that cannot repay their loans.
To counter China's destructive Belt and Road Initiative, G7 nations should lead in infrastructure financing based on transparency and fairness.
Beijing's growing influence on the Maldives, already ensnared in China's debt trap, could pose a serious security threat to countries like India and Japan.
Since 2016, Japan has turned the Free and Open Indo-Pacific from a mere concept to a working framework of engagement with its neighbors. Now, more countries...
Qin Gang was known for his inflammatory statements. With the return of Wang Yi as foreign minister, expect an escalation of Chinese rhetoric.