Tensions continued to mount through early 2014, raising concerns about an “accidental war” between China and Japan, which would demand the involvement of Japan’s main ally, the US (as President Barack Obama confirmed on a visit to Tokyo last April). Add to that simultaneous tensions over China’s claims to South China Sea islands and atolls – claims disputed by the Philippines and Vietnam – and a clash between China and the US was beginning to seem inevitable.
紧张局面在2014年初继续升级，引起了人们对中日之间“意外战争”（accidental war）的担忧。若发生意外战争，日本的主要盟国美国也需要介入（奥巴马在4月访问东京时确认了这一点）。与此同时，中国对南海岛礁的领土主张引起菲律宾和越南的反弹，中国和美国之间的冲突看上去不可避免。