A Jostle in Southeast Asia

For the first time ever, China is conducting military exercises in the western Pacific utilizing all three branches of its forces. Japan is scrambling fighter jets out of Tokyo in response to activities in International waters off Okinawa. Japan has stated that it is their "intention as a state not to tolerate a change in the status-quo by force..." But as China unveils its secret arsenal of nuclear submarines, the cards in the Southeast Asia shuffle appear to favor the nation of 1.3 billion people. But Japan  shouldn't sweat too many bullets because it has a winning trump as an ally in the Southeast Asia deck. Here's to hoping the almost fighting words from Beijing and Tokyo are just nationalistic rhetoric aimed at testosterone gratification within both national borders.