South China Sea: Unexpected Visitor

      The US aircraft carrier is cruising near the island of Borneo, that large tropical island that is home to volcanoes, lush jungle, a variety of animal life unique to the locale, and not a few earthquakes.  It also acts as an impediment to direct access to Australia and Indonesia.   Some geographers even say it borders the South China Sea, an arm of the Pacific, really.   Northwest is Asia-China, etc.  Northeast is the Philippine Islands, thousands of them.  A little further on, the Island nation of Japan.  In between, the above labelled sea, harbors great distances of covering ocean that conceals hidden shoals, sea mounts with abundant wash rocks and outcrops.
      International Rules of the Sea maintain this area as international waters not subject to the claims of any sovereign nation.   Recently, the government of Communist China has laid claim to a few rocks, formerly submerged, now emergent.   This action does not sit well with the Philppines government; the government of Vietnam; the Government of the Republic of China(Taiwan); Malaysia; Thailand;Brunei; and the United States.
     What could possibly be the problem?   Oil and natural gas deposits we suspect.   One island group, the Spratly Islands seem to be causing most of the concerns.   They are located west of Palawan Is. , one of the Philippine Islands.   They are a cluster of exposed seamount tops that are formed by geologic extensions of Borneo.
          The carrier, USS Theodore Roosevelt is steaming with its group through the Palawan Passage on the eastern edge of the South China Sea.   The Secretary of Defense of the US, Ashton Carter, landed on the deck of the carrier today.   This marks an impressive moment in US/China relations.  Since the Chinese military began building a base  here, the other surrounding nations looked to the US to do something about the aggressive behavior of China throughout the area.   Air traffic controls in the area were announced by China.  Then the construction of an airfield was observed.  Confrontations with fishing vessels of several nations were counted in the last year.
     Perhaps good guy Pres. Xi needs a lesson in geopolitics.  He's getting it, right now.   Maybe Pres. Obama seemed too distant and preoccupied with ISIS in Iraq and Afghanistan; and Syria, too.   Don't look now, but Xi & Co. are on Obama's radar screen.
     Thank you, Sec. Carter.  Now pay attention Mr. Xi.