In the recently released U.S. Position on Maritime Claims in the South China Sea, Washington continues to walk a delicate balance between supporting its allies and partners in the region and avoiding entanglement in regional territorial conflicts. The test will come when the United States is called to act upon its more clearly articulated position on Chinese expansionist behavior. The United States asserts a "free and open Indo-Pacific" as a key component of its national security strategy and has long argued that China's so-called nine-dash-line and its actions to exert greater influence over the South China Sea are anathema to global norms, regional stability and U.S. interests. The new Position on Maritime Claims is one piece amid this larger puzzle. Over the past few years, the U.S. Navy has increased its freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea.