Perhaps It Works Better in the Original Chinese

The idea that China and their apologists are asserting that China's claims on the South China Sea are no different than our Monroe Doctrine as applied to the Caribbean Sea is just nonsense:

So let’s not drink the Kool-Aid Beijing is peddling. When it disavows its claim to “indisputable sovereignty” over the South China Sea, reverses longstanding policy to favor freedom of the seas and skies, and, most importantly, wins buy-in from Asian neighbors, then I’ll be glad to welcome comparisons like the ones drawn by Kaplan’s senior colonel.

If I may re-state the obvious, we don't claim the Caribbean as our territory.

If China's claims and the Monroe Doctrine are so similar, the Caribbean Sea would be an American city with the seat of government in Saint Croix.