The United States and China, via the media, continue to trade accusations over a reported near-collision between naval vessels in the South China Sea. The incident has raised the usual concerns about rising tensions amid China's growing maritime activity and declarations , as well as concerns that an accident at sea or in the air could trigger a more serious international incident. But China is also constrained in its actions, and as Beijing seeks to reshape the balance of power in its region, it faces a robust naval environment that leaves it very little flexibility in its efforts to dominate the seas that surround it in the future without exposing its current weakness. What is a Geopolitical Diary? George Friedman explains . According to U.S. sources, Chinese naval vessels from the Liaoning carrier task force approached the USS Cowpens, a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser, and ordered the vessel to stop.