{"id":45261,"date":"2021-02-11T15:36:32","date_gmt":"2021-02-11T15:36:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/02\/11\/in-the-south-china-sea-its-meet-the-new-boss-same-as-the-old-boss\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:07:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:07:14","slug":"in-the-south-china-sea-its-meet-the-new-boss-same-as-the-old-boss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/02\/11\/in-the-south-china-sea-its-meet-the-new-boss-same-as-the-old-boss\/","title":{"rendered":"In the South China Sea, it\u2019s \u2018meet the new boss, same as the old boss\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 The new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/pentagon\/2021\/02\/10\/biden-announces-new-pentagon-china-task-force\/\" target=_blank>Biden administration<\/a> has been reversing many of the Trump administration\u2019s policies in areas such as immigration and energy, but when it comes to confronting China\u2019s actions in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/08\/24\/carrier-ronald-reagan-conducts-air-operations-in-south-china-sea\/\" target=_blank>South China Sea<\/a>, at the highest levels of power the song remains the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In its opening weeks, the Biden administration has signaled it will continue many of the Trump administration\u2019s hardline<a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/global\/europe\/2021\/01\/25\/germany-scrambles-to-offer-biden-common-ground-on-china\/\" target=_blank> policies toward China<\/a>. And it has not backed off heavy naval presence in the Indo-Pacific region, after a U.S. ship conducted \u201cfreedom of navigation operation\u201d (FONOP) earlier this month. Then Feb. 9 the Navy announced that two carriers were operating together in the hotly disputed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/naval\/2018\/11\/02\/top-us-navy-officer-urges-china-to-follow-maritime-code-of-conduct\/\" target=_blank>South China Sea<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2021\/02\/04\/navy-warships-transit-of-taiwan-strait-a-first-under-biden-administration\/\" target=_blank>destroyer John S. McCain transited the Taiwan Strait Feb. 4<\/a>, which China denounced as a provocation, and the following day the McCain performed a FONOP challenging competing claims in the disputed Paracel Islands, a patrol that was accompanied by what experts noted was an extraordinarily detailed explanation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Feb. 9, China\u2019s Foreign Ministry slammed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2021\/02\/09\/roosevelt-nimitz-carrier-strike-groups-conduct-dual-carrier-operations-in-south-china-sea\/\" target=_blank>the Navy\u2019s two-carrier exercise in the South China Sea<\/a>, saying it was \u201cnot conducive to peace and stability in the region,\u201d and that China would \u201cwork together with regional countries to safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/2020\/02\/05\/in-challenging-chinas-claims-in-the-south-china-sea-the-us-navy-is-getting-more-assertive\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"173\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/millius.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">In challenging China\u2019s claims in the South China Sea, the US Navy is getting more assertive<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Last year saw an uptick in U.S. freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Just 21 days into Biden\u2019s presidency, and with a remarkably small sample size, the emerging policy on China looks nearly indistinguishable from the Trump policy, which has led many China watchers to believe that a policy of strategic competition with Beijing \u2014 in the maritime realm and beyond \u2014 is here for the long term. Or at least for Biden\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat we\u2019re seeing across the board is a new administration that isn\u2019t going to throw it out of the playbook of the last four years and that accepts sort of the logic of prioritizing China and competition towards Beijing,\u201d said Eric Sayers, a vice president at Beacon Global Strategies and a former Asia hand at the Senate Armed Services Command and at U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey\u2019re saying, \u2018Hey, we\u2019re going to have our own grammar, we\u2019re going to do things a bit different and put our priorities in different places,\u2019 but at the same time they haven\u2019t backed off from some of the areas that that their skeptics said they would.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere is continuity in the South China Sea, but it\u2019s its continuity of the Trump approach, not a return of the Obama approach.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Critics have argued that the Obama administration failed to take stronger measures to oppose China\u2019s increasingly aggressive stance in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/opinion\/commentary\/2020\/04\/17\/chinas-island-fortifications-are-a-challenge-to-international-norms\/\" target=_blank>South China Sea,<\/a> and was slow to react as China began building <a href=\"https:\/\/amti.csis.org\/\" target=_blank>military bases on disputed features <\/a>there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Biden\u2019s approach appears more assertive. In the wake of the McCain\u2019s FONOP in the Paracels, the Japan-based U.S. 7th Fleet released a detailed statement Feb. 5, specifically calling out a Chinese claim that dates to 1996 and would extend China\u2019s territorial sea out to the features there. By extension, this logic would grant them most of the infamous-yet-ambiguous <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Nine-dash_line\" target=_blank>\u201cnine-dash-line\u201d<\/a> claim seeking expanded rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cUnlawful and sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea pose a serious threat to the freedom of the sea, including freedoms of navigation and overflight, free trade and unimpeded commerce, and freedom of economic opportunity for South China Sea littoral nations,\u201d the 7th Fleet statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">China has never fully articulated what rights it claims in the South China Sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">China\u2019s Parcaels claim led to a violent clash with Vietnam in 1974 that left China in de facto control of the features, though it has remained contested ever since. That claim almost certainly infringes on Vietnam\u2019s rightful exclusive economic zone, which, under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, extends 200 miles, said Bryan Clark, a senior fellow at Hudson Institute and former senior aid to the chief of naval operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat they\u2019ve been trying to do is argue that the Paracels are an extension of China and, therefore, allow you to draw a straight line around the features,\u201d Clark said. \u201cSo, this essentially supports their argument about the nine-dash line, because the Paracel\u2019s are south of Hainan Island. Essentially, you\u2019ve got this extension of Chinese sovereignty well into the South China Sea as a result of drawing a straight line from the Paracels to Hainan to the Chinese mainland. And then it\u2019s the same thing on the other end of the Chinese coast, which infringes on the [exclusive economic zone] that rightfully belongs to Vietnam.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In response to the McCain FONOP, a spokesman for China\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs offered a muted response, saying China monitored the operations, and called on the United States to have a more constructive role in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cChina will continue to stay on high alert and is ready to respond to all threats and provocations at any time, and will resolutely safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity,\u201d said Wang Wenbin, the spokesperson. \u201cWe hope the U.S. side will play a constructive role for regional peace and stability, rather than the opposite.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/PLAN1.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-48051\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/PLAN1.jpg.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/PLAN1.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/PLAN1.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">In this April 12, 2018 photo, Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks after reviewing the Chinese People&#8217;s Liberation Army Navy fleet in the South China Sea. Xi is calling on the PLAN to better prepare for combat, amid tensions over Taiwan and the South China Sea. Xi told a meeting of top military leaders Saturday, Jan. 5, 2019, that the 3-million-strong PLA needs to prepare for a \u201ccomprehensive military struggle from a new starting point,\u201d according to state media reports. (Li Gang\/Xinhua via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>The competition continues<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite radically different positions on a range of national security issues, when it comes to the China relationship, Presidents Joe Biden and Donald Trump have charted similar courses thus far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both Biden and new Secretary of State Antony Blinken have signaled the need for some cooperation, particularly on tackling climate change. But the Biden administration has also held the line on the<a href=\"https:\/\/ge.usembassy.gov\/u-s-rejects-chinas-unlawful-claims-in-south-china-sea-july-22\/#:~:text=The%20U.S.%20is%20strengthening%20its,the%20PRC%20is%20a%20party.\" target=_blank> 2020 decision by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo <\/a>to formally reject China\u2019s expansive claims in the South China Sea and has backed Pompeo\u2019s late-hour determination that China\u2019s actions against Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang province constituted genocide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During calls with counterparts in Vietnam and the Philippines, new Secretary of State Antony Blinken made clear the U.S. was not backing off its rejection of excessive Chinese claims of maritime rights and that the U.S. was committed to maintaining a rules-based order in the South China Sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a State Department readout of a Jan. 27 call between Blinken and Philippines Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin, Blinken said the United States rejected China\u2019s maritime claims in the South China Sea \u201cto the extent they exceed the maritime zones that China is permitted to claim under international law as reflected in the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention,\u201d according to a statement from State spokesman Ned Price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSecretary Blinken pledged to stand with Southeast Asian claimants in the face of PRC pressure,\u201d the statement reads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It also made clear the U.S. would defend against attacks on Philippines military or government assets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSecretary Blinken stressed the importance of the Mutual Defense Treaty for the security of both nations, and its clear application to armed attacks against the Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft in the Pacific, which includes the South China Sea,\u201d the statement reads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The direct language and restating of U.S. policy so early in the Biden White House was a deliberate signal that there has been no significant shift in policy with the new team, said Bonnie Glaser, who leads the China Power Project at Center for Strategic and International Studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt is essentially a restatement of Trump policy, articulated by Pompeo in mid-2018 and mid-2020,\u201d Glaser said. \u201cIt reaffirms that the Mutual Defense Treaty applies to the South China Sea and that the U.S. opposes Chinese maritime claims that are inconsistent with UNCLOS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe fact that U.S. policy was stated very clearly within the first week of the Biden administration demonstrates U.S. commitment to alliances and U.S. willingness to push back against Chinese actions in the South China Sea that undermine the interests of the U.S. and its allies and partners.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1296\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/50925649428_45c5e512bd_k.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-64563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/50925649428_45c5e512bd_k.jpg.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/50925649428_45c5e512bd_k.jpg.jpg?resize=300,190 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/50925649428_45c5e512bd_k.jpg.jpg?resize=768,486 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/50925649428_45c5e512bd_k.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,648 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/50925649428_45c5e512bd_k.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,972 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The guided-missile destroyers USS Sterett (DDG 104) and USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) transit the South China Sea on Feb. 9, 2021. The Nimitz and Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Groups are conducting dual-carrier operations in the Indo-Pacific in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts. (MC3 Cheyenne Geletka\/Navy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Realigning priorities?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What remains unclear is how that will impact Defense Department acquisitions priorities going forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Feb. 4, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin launched a force-wide posture review to address if the military has the right capabilities in the right places to address the threats the country faces. And in comments Feb. 10 at the Pentagon, Biden said Austin had ordered a China task force to ensure the DoD is pursuing the right concepts and technologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cToday I was briefed on a new DoD-wide China task force that Secretary Austin is standing up to look at our strategy, operational concepts technology and force posture and so much more,\u201d Biden said. He added that the task force would map out the course that would incorporate allies and partners and a whole-of-government approach to meet the China challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There have been some clues as to what the administration is thinking coming in the door. In response to a question about the Trump administration\u2019s late-hour force structure assessment, new Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks said she was inclined to support many, but not all, of the themes in the assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere\u2019s some really interesting operational themes that I\u2019m attracted to,\u201d Hicks said. \u201cThere\u2019s a focus on increasing use of autonomy. There\u2019s a focus on dispersal of forces and there\u2019s a focus on growing the number of small surface combatants relative to today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2021\/02\/09\/senate-confirms-kathleen-hicks-as-dods-no-2\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/hicks_smile.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Senate confirms Hicks as DoD\u2019s No. 2<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The Senate confirmed Kathleen Hicks as deputy defense secretary on Monday evening, making her the first woman to be confirmed by the Senate to the position.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hicks\u2019 discussion of \u201cdispersal of forces\u201d is seemingly a reference to the Navy\u2019s plans to fight in a more spread-out manner, using sensors on unmanned autonomous platforms linked to manned platforms to push capabilities to more places for less money than it would cost to spread those sensors around on manned platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That likely means the Navy\u2019s networking effort, Project Overmatch, upon which the whole concept depends will go forward. By extension, the broader Air Force-led Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control network will likely be a priority as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She also pointed to increasing investments in small surface combatants, which is another means of starting to reduce the cost of spreading around significant capabilities for less money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The next-generation Constellation-class Frigate was awarded last April to Fincantieri and its Wisconsin shipyard Marinette Marine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is unclear if hypersonic missiles, a key Trump-era priority aimed at giving the military the ability to rapidly strike Chinese targets at extremely long ranges, will endure as a priority in the Biden administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>\u2018A little tougher than what I thought\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But to date, national security-minded conservatives have welcomed the Biden team\u2019s embrace of many of the Trump administration\u2019s hardline China positions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In his confirmation hearing, Blinken drew some distinctions between his views on the China relationship and the Trump administrations\u2019 but largely said he agreed with many of the steps the previous White House took, including the recent declaration that China was engaged in genocide against the Uighur population in Xinjiang. The response seemed to catch Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, off guard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou do agree?\u201d a seemingly surprised Graham asked, adding haltingly that \u201cwe\u2019re on a good start here. So, this \u2026 Really, I \u2026 I just very much appreciate that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"464\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/tr-scs.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-40497\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/tr-scs.jpg.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/tr-scs.jpg.jpg?resize=300,139 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/tr-scs.jpg.jpg?resize=768,356 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt watch the warship John Finn approach for a replenishment-at-sea earlier this month. TR and its strike group entered the South China Sea on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021. (Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Chris Cavagnaro\/Navy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the highest-level to date interaction between the U.S. and China since the new administration took office, Blinken released a statement saying the U.S. was not backing down on China\u2019s destabilizing role in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSecretary Blinken stressed the United States will continue to stand up for human rights and democratic values, including in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong, and pressed China to join the international community in condemning the military coup in Burma,\u201d Price\u2019s statement read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For its part, China released a statement saying it wanted the U.S. to \u201cuphold the spirit of no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation, focus on cooperation and manage differences, so as to push forward the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seth Cropsey, a Reagan and George H.W. Bush-era DoD official who is now a senior fellow at the conservative Hudson Institute, said that so far Biden\u2019s policies have been encouraging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey are a little tougher than what I thought I was going to see,\u201d Cropsey said. \u201cFor example, I don\u2019t think that any of Taiwan\u2019s representatives to Washington had been invited to attend the inauguration and Biden did that. They have said that they\u2019re going to continue to arm sales to Taiwan \u2026 and we don\u2019t know that that means but it\u2019s a positive thing to say.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cropsey said holding off on high-level engagements with China until consulting with allies in the region was a smart move, and he was impressed with Blinken\u2019s upholding of Pompeo\u2019s determination that China was committing genocide against the Uighur population in Xinjiang and the continuation of naval activity in the South China Sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cLook, it\u2019s impossible to tell where this is going to lead and whether it is the keel of the Biden administration policy, but it looks encouraging so far.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tensions are mounting in the South China Sea as the U.S. doubles down on hardline Trump-era China policies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":82530,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-post-featured-layout","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":13,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,13,16,26,65],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3283],"class_list":["post-45261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"BER6T6VD4BGFXNEKFZLKHKA6O4","arc_canonical_url":"\/naval\/2021\/02\/11\/in-the-south-china-sea-its-meet-the-new-boss-same-as-the-old-boss\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"featured-layout","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>In the South China Sea, it\u2019s \u2018meet the new boss, same as the old boss\u2019 - Air Force TImes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Tensions are mounting in the South China Sea as the U.S. doubles down on hardline Trump-era China policies.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"In the South China Sea, it\u2019s \u2018meet the new boss, same as the old boss\u2019\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Tensions are mounting in the South China Sea as the U.S. doubles down on hardline Trump-era China policies.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/02\/11\/in-the-south-china-sea-its-meet-the-new-boss-same-as-the-old-boss\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Air Force TImes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-02-11T15:36:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-07T23:07:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"David B. 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