China and The Biggest Territory Grab Since World War II

Yesterday, the New York Times reported that China's mapping authority, Sinomaps Press, issued a new map of the country showing 80% of the South China Sea as internal Chinese water. What's at issue? Each year, more than half of the world's annual merchant tonnage passes through the South China Sea as well as a third of the global trade in crude oil and over half of LNG trade. Beijing's assertion of sovereignty over that body of water does not necessarily mean it will close the South China Sea off...