Will it happen?

As per this:

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-02/26/c_135134911.htm

there is a continuing irking, vexing and poking by the US at China in the South China Sea.

When will it  happen, when one of these drills or exercises the South China Sea fleet is oft to do that one day it "accidentally" sinks the destroyer, USS Maddox. It is the same one that was involved in the Tonkin Incident that led to LBJ's war in Vietnam and zealously pursued by Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger until the Fall of Saigon, a.k.a. the Dien Bien Phu of American Arms in Vietnam.

Did you know that the combined military fatalities sustained by the US and South Vietnam was over one million men!

After the sinking of the Maddox you can see the profusion of apologies by the Chinese.

The question is how much grovelling must the Chinese do before the top naval hegemon of the area is satisfied for the loss of her destroyer, the Maddox. The other question is whether the Chinese are willing to grovel to that extent that will satisfy the top hegemon.

If it is never satisfied then what will the top hegemon do?

And are there and monetary compensations that will satisfy the top hegemon. 

The last time China lost to the top hegemon of the era, she had to give Hong Kong to the British for 100 years and all rights to the British commercial representative to sell opium in China from any village to town and city in China. The British commercial representative for this deal was the Sassoon family; and monetary compensation in silver to Britain was in an untold number of tons.

Would the top hegemon be satisfied if China handed control of Hong Kong to the US for 100 years and the right to sell cocaine and opium and heroin in every Chinese village, town and city and the return to the US of its 3 trillion US dollars in foreign reserves.