Will China climb down in the South China Sea?

Will China climb down in the South China Sea?

Posted: 03 Apr 2012 04:49 AM PDT

Beijing's irritation with Washington's diplomatic activism in Southeast Asia is understandable -- great powers traditionally seek authority over the sea and land near their shores. But that is secondary. For China, the more important issue is its belief that a bonanza of oil lies beneath the South China Sea. If there are such riches, one of Beijing's premier concerns -- that it have secure access to sufficient natural resources to fuel its surging economy -- could at once shrink, along with China's reliance on the Persian Gulf.