To deter Chinese imperialism, the US should ask to station long range missiles in Vietnam and the Philippines

In response to China’s aggressive military exercise last week, in which its air force landed bomber aircraft on islands in the Paracel Island chain of the South China Sea, the U.S. should negotiate with Vietnam and the Philippines toward stationing long-range missiles on their soil.

Those missiles would allow the U.S. to play China at its own game: dangling a military veto over the transit of Chinese commercial and military elements through the South China Sea if China attempted to do the same to the U.S. or its allies. The purpose here would not be to instigate a conflict with China but rather to deter China from doing that which it wishes to do. Namely, using its island construction and militarization campaign in the South China Sea to economically and diplomatically pressure regional nations to kneel to its influence.