“Now, are we preparing for it? Are we having exercises of that nature? The short answer is yes.”-Admiral D.K Joshi, Indian navy

04 December 2012, India announces it is sending a naval fleet to the South China Sea, to counter the growing presence of the Chinese navy, and possible for war.

Vietnam is also ramping up anti-Chinese sentiments: “The blatant violation of Vietnamese waters by Chinese fishing vessels not only violates the sovereignty…of Vietnam but also interferes in the normal operations of Vietnamese fishermen and affects the maritime activities of Petrovietnam.”-Pham Viet Dung, Petrovietnam

Petrovietnam officials say Chinese ships recently cut cables being towed behind  company research ships.

The South China Sea has become an international hot zone because of huge oil and gas reserves.  Many countries claim the area, including Vietnam, Japan, Korea, Philippines, China and others.

Taiwan, a U.S. ally, has recently taken up sides with mainland communist China over disputes with Japan.

Officials with the Obama administration recently told Japan that they would honor their Cold War agreements which basically say the U.S. supports Japanese territorial claims.

Indian officials said their naval deployment was not just about oil: “It is one of the most important international waterways and freedom of navigation there is an issue of utmost concern to India because a large portion of India’s trade is through the South China Sea.”-Brahma Chellaney, Centre for Policy Research