Predictions that a possible World War 3 could erupt from a skirmish that occurred last week between the U.S. and China in the South China Sea have come from a particularly troubling and high-level source, according to a report by Reuters on Friday.
That source was none other than the chief of the China Navy itself, Admiral Wu Shengli.
China has long claimed a large swath of the nearly 1.2 million square mile South China sea as its own territory, even constructing artificial islands there, islands that the United States and its allies in the region fear could be used for military bases and air strips.
The region claimed by China, around the three island chains known as the Spratly Islands, Scarborough Shoals, and the Paracels, is a major nautical trade route as well, with an estimated $5.3 trillion in global trade passing through the disputed area annually, including $1.2 trillion from the U.S. alone.
In addition, control of the region is seen by world leaders as a test of the United States and its Asian allies to respond to increased military activity by China in the area of the South China Sea.