Nobody’s claiming that the U.S. “has rights to islands in the Western Pacific.” The world community has shipping rights through the areas near those islands. China is claiming these islands, some of which are 800 km from its shores, and claiming a 200 mi economic exclusion zone for built up reefs that are only 120 mi…

Be careful what you wish for- any nation that can avoid risking it’s soldiers in combat, yet pursue war is a nation that will find itself in lots of wars - with enemies who now consider it’s civilians as viable targets.