China to militarize its artificial islands from 2017: expert

A senior official from the Australian government told Garnaut that China hsd won the first round of its battle for control in the South China Sea by completing the construction of an archipelago of artificial islands. The United States and its allies, including Australia, can do very little to stop China from winning the next round as well, the official said, and the deployment of US warships and aircraft to the region to challenge China’s “unlawful” claims has proved indecisive.