Such an outcome would give China far greater power projection in the East and South China Seas -- through which flow much of East Asia's trade, including the bulk of Japan and South Korea's oil imports.
The companies behind the project argue that they will be developed at some point, regardless of whether the products flow out South, North, West or East.
Rigorous controls on the flow of sensitive technologies from West to East as well as North to South have to replace greedy, shortsighted parochial interest as the order of the day.