You are asking people to think and comment intelligently!
regarding your point: 2. Its provocative to have submarines lingering around China
Just imagine how the USA let alone some of the 'intelligent' commentators would react to China (or Russia, or anyone else) running regular patrols along the USA coastline etc like the USA runs around just about every country. People wonder why China et al react the way they do. Just like all the aircraft (manned and drone) that the USA sends everywhere.
re South China Sea, is this a re-run of 1939/40 where the USA goaded Japan into attacking them? May have worked, for Japan, if they had destroyed the oil depots on Hawaii as well as the navy. Certainly would have been very different. Nukes these days totally change all that.
