Bill Hayton is a long-time journalist/foreign correspondent with the BBC, and a large portion of his career has been reporting on events in South East Asia, the dissension and the toxic manoeuverings for access and control.
He's written two books; his first book, Vietnam: Rising Dragon looked at the human rights abuses, authoritian rule and the economic rise of Vietnam. His latest book is The South China Sea: The Struggle for Power in Asia. The South China Sea is one of the world's major trading routes and the energy resources of the sea are integral to China's foreign policy, causing friction with nearby countries.
One of the flashpoints is between Vietnam and China over the Paracel Islands, both countries are claiming the energy-rich surrounding waters as their own.
