China believes it controls the South China Sea and is confident the United States will avoid going to war because it "lacks both the ability and will to engage in a military conflict or go to war with us."

The assessment of China's activities published in an internal magazine of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) also confirmed China's ploy of using allegedly "civilian activities" such as building lighthouses on manmade islands or islands it seized from other countries as a prelude to the militarization of these islands.

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The story written by officers of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) South Seas Fleet revealed the massive land reclamation projects have given the PLA a strategic military advantage in the South China Sea.

"Intimidated by the projects, related claimants and neighboring countries are unlikely to provoke any military conflict or escalate it into a war because they are too poorly prepared," said the op-ed.

Ominously, the report said a military crisis in the South China Sea is "highly likely," but the likelihood it will accelerate into a war is small. It also said the U.S. "lacks both the ability and will to engage in a military conflict or go to war with us."

China must also take advantage of a military crisis to counterattack the Americans; do all it can to "hit the enemy where it hurts" and "teach it a lesson."

China can maintain its newly won dominance by, first, drawing a clear line in the sand with regard to managing a military crisis.

Second, China must prepare for "endurance warfare" to wear down the Americans. The PLA should "fight behind a civilian front and refrain from firing the first shot, but it should also prepare to fight endurance warfare" to safeguard sovereignty, security and China's national interests.

China believes it has secured the leadership role in the South China Sea and other countries can't match its military supremacy in the region.

Tagschina, South China Sea, People's Liberation Army, People's Liberation Army Navy