From rising sea levels due to climate change to acts of terror from various groups such as ISIS and jihadist radicals to global viral pandemics, China’s quest for hegemonic jurisdiction over the South China Sea might not be high up on some lists in regards to global trepidations. Bill Hayton’s The South China Sea—The Struggle for Power in Asia could not have arrived at a more crucial time. Hayton calls to attention the issues regarding China’s rising power in Asia and what it means for the international order of the globalised society we live in.