China set up military facilities near Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. Its strong will to control the South China Sea can be seen./ Source from search engine Baidu.

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By Hong Soon-do, Beijing correspondent, AsiaToday - Tensions between China and the US over territorial claims in the South China Sea are keep rising. The South China Sea is where the Spratly Islands, the key economic and security strategy point of Southeast Asia, are located. It's not an exaggeration that the current situation is highly volatile that military conflicts could take at any moment. However, the two countries are showing no sign of shying away from the issue so far. Besides, it's clear that the situation will be getting worse in the future. So it seems to be a matter of time that this region will emerge as a new powder keg of the world where the two super powers collide.

According to analysis of Western sources in Beijing on Tuesday, such assertion is highly likely. Currently, China, who is actually controlling the Spratly Islands with no basis in international law, is showing a strong will to have a territorial sovereignty over the islands. If the United States engages in further interference by supporting the neighboring Southeast Asian countries such as the Philippines and Vietnam, China revealed that it would not avoid to take tougher actions. China's recent building up of military facilities on the artificial islands in the South China Sea can be seen as a part of their strong will. Besides, Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a strong warning on Sunday about the US warships sailing to the South China Sea.

The United States is not backing down either. The country is sticking with its position claiming that China's claim over the region and its construction of artificial islands in the region is the pre-phase for its military supremacy. Of course, the US is standing against China with the 12 nautical mile territorial sovereignty claims. Recently, the country is even enhancing publicity on disposition of a large mine that can be dropped by American warship or aircraft, claiming that it won't close its eyes of China's military dominance. It's not only supporting Vietnam and Philippines, and bringing Japan into the issue, the United States has recently advised Korea to be on its side during a recent summit talk between US President Barack Obama and Korean President Park Geun-hye.

The South China Sea is known to be a geopolitical strategic point where more than $5 trillion in ship cargo including crude oil transits. The region has a lot of resources as well. In short, China will unavoidably emerge in the economic and security fields if it dominates the region. This is why the US is doing everything it can to stop China's pursuit of military dominance.