IMO, it's a dilemma for US.
Backgrounds:
1. The 'Pivot to Asia' was proposed by Obama, the new policy or strategy to maitain the super power role and to confront China.
2. The disputes among China and other countries in SCS.
3. The chaos that is already created by US in SCS for 'free navigation'.
4. The allies of US need US to protect them for their own benefits and the opportunistic motives.
5. Bad economy background lead to that US need capital flow turn to US to support their economy.
6. Election season need US's tough voices or actions to confront rivals and act as a punisher or cop to comfort their people and maitain the super power image don't mention ally or not.
7. History or reality told us that US can't afford to attack China even with a limited war so that find agents to confront China is their top priority.
Realities:
1. The cost of 'free navigation' is higher than China, SCS is just in China's backyard. The cost is even higher to send carrier battle group but US has to pay the check for those conditions.
2. Send a carrier battle group to SCS that has to face the monitor/detection of radio/wave characteristics by PLAN's ships.
3. The battle group will be definitely tracked by sensor systems that will enhance the performance of DF21D and DF26.
4. The counter measures and resources from China will be various and with the islands building process development, there will be even more.
5. The 'free navigation' will force China to build more military facilities on islands of China in SCS and steadily conform the dominant situation.
6. Game in SCS has started by US and China has to attend in, but when and how to stop the game China has her own choice.
7. With speaking louder for 'free navigation', there's no signal that China will stop building islands and putting more military equipment on islands. There's just no room for China to fallback.
8. For the agents or cost issues, US will push their allies forward to challenge China, Australia, Phillipine, South Korea, Japan just don't matter.
US always fight for their own benefits and currently for their super power domination. China has to face US sooner or later and China has no choice but to turn the crisis to opportunity. IMO, it's not bad for China.
Let's wait and see the change of game when the new president of US comes out.
do you think more weapons make you safer?
do you think you can win the arms race, without scarifying economic and social benefits for common people?
you look all things too rosy too positive for China, while all negative for others. understandably because you are a chinese poster seeing with chinese eye, optimistic, thinking God is on your side, with unshakeable confidence. you are the winner, other are loser. I am tired to comment all of your bullshit, but just one. as many of Chinese posters here dream of launching ballistic missiles on US warships and military installations.
if you haven´t noticed, the US has a satellite network monitoring China day and night. if the US notices you launch ballistic missiles from China soil, you can brace for a massive counter strike on your missile site. on China.
If you launch a ballistic missile from China, how does the US know in advance if it is equipped by conventional or nuclear warhead?
the time for America for the reaction chain, beginning to detect, recognise, consider, calculate for a massive strike on China is less than 30 minutes. it is very short. mistake and miscalculation can happen..
giving you an example.
during the cold war, in the 1980s, when the tension reached new height, soviet satellites detected US incoming ballistic missiles. the commanding soviet officer in charge just had few minutes to decide whether or not to answer with a massive counter strike on the US. the rest is history.
think about it.
as part of the arms race, the US will invest $320 billion in the next 10 years to modernize the nuclear missile forces. for your photo collection, here is one: she just tested a ground based ICBM Minuteman III.
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