BARELY a month into the new year, tensions in the Indo-Pacific region are mounting once again as rival superpowers go into provocation mode by flashing their military might. In the South China Sea, two United States aircraft carrier groups, joined by a Japanese destroyer, are conducting "training to preserve and protect a free and open Indo-Pacific region." Part of the "training" involves sailing close to islets China claims to be part of its territory. Beijing interprets the presence of a flotilla of foreign warships in the disputed waters as a challenge to its authority and has swiftly responded in kind….