As a sailor, the author engaged with the marginal coastal communities of Vietnam, seizing the opportunity to bring forth their stories. The most pertinent prospects are unravelled in his inference that the problems faced by the fishing community are a convergence of geopolitics and marine environmental issues. The perils faced by the sea-dependent communities due to territorial conflicts and sovereignty claims have been exacerbated by the escalation of extreme weather condition such as typhoons and other coastal disasters. Borton was onboard several fishing trawlers where he heard the tales of attacks from China’s brutish offensive in the South China Sea, where Beijing’s steel hulled vessels rammed and sank Vietnamese wooden fishing boats.

The rising challenges from the destruction of coral reefs, associated with China’s purposeful and reckless transformation of small reefs and rocks into artificial islands with military structures, have set the framework for an ecological catastrophe. Similar issues irk other claimant nations, including Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand. The plight of the poor communities under the looming shadow of an Asian giant is depicted well: ‘The ongoing fishing vessel skirmishes and continuing provocative Chinese-led actions have cast long shadows,’ writes Borton, ‘and resulted in economic losses for many fishermen with boats sunk and equipment stolen.’ With more than 50 per cent of China’s global fishing fleet operating in this region, the predatory nature of Chinese fishing practices has led to destabilisation of the fragile maritime regional balance.

What sets this book apart is that the identification of problems has been sincerely followed by a prospective solution. The author’s outcome orientation and forward-looking approach makes this work very relevant and critical to the current time and age.

Borton suggests science diplomacy as an initiative to counter the ever-increasing fusion of political and ecological issues. He argues that science diplomacy through conferences and webinars can and does provide a solid bridge that links science and policy. He stands vindicated in his claim that science is a common and apolitical language that brings allies and adversaries together with technology and innovation to address cross-border challenges. The blatant necessity for a science-based cooperation, especially with respect to climate change and the handling of the pandemic, cannot be contested as it is amply clear that these novel challenges cannot be dealt with in isolation by a single nation. He is right in relaying the collective message ‘we are all in this together and the body of ecological science reminds us that life is interconnected’.