This is Bloomberg Opinion Today, a multi-pronged strategy of engaging with Bloomberg Opinion’s opinions. On Sundays, we look at the major themes of the week past and how they will define the week ahead. Sign up for the daily newsletter here.

I once wrote an article headlined “Don't Let Giant Clams Start World War III.” That title was tongue-in-cheek — up to a point. While highlighting the depredations of Chinese fishing fleets against Pacific reef systems, my bigger point was how this destructive commercial activity is also the tip of the spear for Beijing’s military aggressions and geopolitical ambitions in the South China Sea and beyond. After the fishermen come the “maritime militias,” then the Chinese coast guard, and eventually the People’s Liberation Army-Navy with its water cannons, artificial islands and reckless seamanship that could lead to miscalculation, escalation and, well, World War III.