South China Sea: Biden has a chance to allow diplomacy to lead instead of military action

Putting the military cart before the diplomatic horse begets tit-for-tat responses from China that increase militarisation and scare Southeast Asian nations Biden needs to reassess US freedom of navigation operations, clarify American 'red lines', reassure Asean and broker a balance of power with China Putting the military cart before the diplomatic horse only begets tit-for-tat responses from China that increase militarisation and frighten Southeast Asian countries Under US President Joe Biden, one of the first American defence department acts was to create a task force to review its military approach to China. This is sorely needed. US-China relations are at…