I do not know what a Trump presidency will bring for the South China Sea imbroglio. But by making and clearly stating assumptions, using logic based on the relevant available information and sketching scenarios I can shed some light on the likely possibilities.
According to The New York Times, Donald Trump has "no elective office experience, no coherent political agenda and no bulging binders of policy proposals." However, we do know that Trump's management style is that of a delegator of responsibility to loyal associates. This means that his appointees will be greatly empowered to pursue their initiatives independently — as long as they don't cause problems for the boss. If they do, then Trump's presidency may become more like a long drawn out season of "The Apprentice" with firings being the consequences for failure. In that scenario. Trump's foreign policy in general is likely to be chaotic, confused and confusing. Let's hope this is not the case.
In any case we will not know the likely tone and tenor of Trumps' presidency toward Asia and in particular China and the South China Sea until he fills key posts in his administration, such as the secretaries of state and defense, and national security adviser. However, that has not stopped many from speculating on what his election means for U.S.-China relations and specifically for the very dangerous situation in the South China Sea. So I might as well join in and offer my two cents.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.