Wednesday  4 March 2015  / Hour 2, Block A: Harry Kazianis, editor of RealClearDefense and senior fellow for Defense Policy at the Center for the National Interest, in re:  China is become a predatory state, ahs the largest defense expenditure on the planet: $145 billion. Of curse, we don’t know he real budget, which clearly is greater than that . It's a 10.1%  increase; shows that the Chinese military now has increasing political power, and the senior officers have pledged personal fealty to Xi Jinping. China is building islands in the South China Sea in international waters to chip away at the intl order – slowly; Machiavellian moves.   Scarborough Shoal; the rise of its military might.  The ADIZ launched 18 mos ago; deploying oil rigs in Vietnam's territory;  to dominate Asia.  Islands aren't large, but are big enough for an air or sea base.  What the US has done for 200 years is defend the freedom of  navigation.   No one can draw a line around a large body of water – the global commons.  China's 9- or  10-dash line of claimed space. With these islets China could enforce its new claims.  Each island serves as an aircraft carrier.  Over time, routine to consider that China dominates the region. Note that while the US has an enormous defense budget, its spread over he planet, whereas China is sending al this on relatively local actions.