Military Competition in Pacific Endures as Biggest Flash Point Between U.S. and China

FILE -- The Scarborough Shoal, which was previously administered by the Philippines before being claimed by China in 2012, in the South China Sea, Sept. 5, 2018. Trump administration officials are anxious about Beijing’s efforts to assert dominance over Taiwan, the South China Sea and far Pacific islands. They say the U.S. needs to push back. (Adam Dean/The New York Times)