The Chinese have landed an aircraft on Fiery Cross Reef
An artificial island built in the South China Sea.
The island is in the Spratleys and, alas, it now seems
As well as China, it’s claimed by both Vietnam and the Philippines.

There are many other South China Sea island disputes:
Sabah, Scarborough Shoal, the Paracels and Senkaku.
Regional tensions led by history or power
For influence and resources, relationships sour.

The globe is rife with contention: Israel, Kashmir, Taiwan to name but a few
There’s Northern Ireland and Transnistria, Sudan and South Ossetia too.
But the biggest conflict is yet to come in a world seeking resources to control.
The stakes will reach their peak in the squabble for Antarctica and the North Pole.