Here's a look at the region and the disputed areas. The primary issue at the heart of the South China Sea dispute is the overlapping of several "Exclusive Economic Zones" of each country.
Brunei, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines claim various parts of land in the Spratly Islands — one of the island chains in dispute in the South China Sea.
China claims the lions share of the South China Sea with its self proclaimed "nine dash line" shown below in red.
Mega money passes through these waters. The South China Sea is home to $5 trillion in annual global trade. The sea also function as the main trade route for unfinished goods between ASEAN (Southeast Asia), Japan, and China.
The South China Sea has proven oil reserves of seven billion barrels and an estimated 900 trillion cubic feet of natural gas ... If Chinese calculations are correct, then these waters could contain more oil than any area of the globe except Saudi Arabia. Some have called the South China Sea "the second Persian Gulf.
Here's a look at the US assets and personnel deployed in Hawaii, Alaska, and Guam, devoted to the safety and security of the region.
Several countries have also constructed aircraft capabilities in the region, but China has the most and the longest airstrips.
