Australia must not be distracted as China ramps up in the South China SeaThe global pressures of 2026 have created no shortage of distractions. Yet, despite marking the tribunal’s 10th anniversary this year, the facts at sea increasingly reflect Chinese military and government control of the South China Sea. This intensification and expansion aren’t confined to the South China Sea. Yet the South China Sea provides one of the clearest examples of how dramatically our strategic circumstances have changed. But we cannot take our eyes off the rapidly changing environment in the South China Sea and Northeast Asia, or the direct implications for our security.