This disparity represents an important opportunity for countries like the US and Japan, which are trying to discipline a delinquent China in the South China Sea by demonstrating their overwhelming naval power – and thus their capacity to deny China access to key sea-lanes. Under the rubric of disaster relief, counter-terrorism efforts, or other non-traditional security cooperation, the US and Japan could regularly dispatch flotillas and occasionally deploy major surface vessels such as aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships.