Chinese leaders navigate the raging waters slowly and carefully with the long view of world history as a source of national pride fueling its vessel. As China’s ‘Century of Humiliation’ ended, China redrew maps, renamed islands, and crisscrossed the South China Sea to assert its claim and coerce states to comply with its wishes. China militarized islands, turning them into dangerous fortresses as Beijing doubled-down on its nationalist policies by threatening vessels and projecting its hegemony over the South China Sea. Meanwhile, regional states found themselves in the crosshairs of intensifying U.S.-China tensions. As the world braved the COVID-19 pandemic, China used its ‘might makes right’ strategy to increase its global ambitions. In a waterway where one-third of global trade and half the world’s fishing vessels traverse, the South China Sea is a flashpoint of conflict as China’s military and paramilitary scour the waters, threaten fishermen, hinder oil exploration, and harass states. Winston and Sachdeva analyze ‘What’s at Stake’ as regional disputes escalate, marine ecosystems risk destruction, and militarized islands demand global attention before it is too late.