about blocking access to the seven islands that china occupies here. you d also have to deal with their air capabilities. this is not just a naval blockade. they have four different airstrips built on the largest of the islands. they have hangar space for a full regiment of fire air kraf. that s a lot of capability, finally, this is not without cost. these are not defenseless features. what you re looking at here are advanced air defense and missile systems. worrieded about eslation. the biggest fear is accidental conflict. south china sea, even under the best possible set of circumstances, is going to get more crowded and more contentious. there are going to be more commercial ships in the area and more military assets. a key question in all of this, did tillerson speak directly for trump when he said the u.s. should deny china access to the islands.