American strategy guru Paul Stares says: ‘If past experience is any guide, US and China will find themselves embroiled in a serious crisis at some point in the future.’ The Chinese navy is growing fast, acquiring aircraft-carriers and sophisticated missile systems. Beijing makes no secret of its determination to rule the oil-rich South China Sea, heedless of the claims of others such as Vietnam and the Philippines. The Chinese foreign minister recently in a speech reminded the nations of South-East Asia that they are small, while China is very big.