A Third Way for the US in the South China Sea

Washington should think beyond the dyad of containment and appeasement. The struggle for a rule-based order in South China Sea is enduring and comprehensive, which requires greater persistence and stronger engagements on the part of the US and other regional countries.

22/10/2021

The South China Sea Report: Navigating turbulences towards 2021

This report seeks to address the prominent themes in the South China Sea in 2020 and provide further insights into what the future has in store via a series of articles by regional experts. The highlights below provide a summarization of the authors' main arguments, including ones raised at the 12th South China Sea International Conference hosted by the South China Sea Institute, Diplomatic Academy...

23/10/2021

ASEAN’S Long March to a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea

If the past is prologue, China’s disregard for the Award and its continual militarization of its features in the South China Sea means that ASEAN’s Long March for a COC will remain a protracted one.

23/10/2021

U.S. Perspective on the South China Sea Order: Strategy Under the Trump Administration

While much of the day-to-day work of managing U.S. diplomatic, economic, and security interactions in Asia seems to have continued unchanged, this belies a very significant difference in the Trump Administration’s apparent view of how the United States should engage with the world.

23/10/2021

ASEAN and Its Partners for Good Order at Sea: Problems and Proposals

This paper argues that only on a rule-based order enforced by appropriate measures can ASEAN and its partners achieve a peaceful and secure maritime environment that benefits all. To ensure safety and security amid the shifting balance of power and mounting non-traditional threats, seafarers need legal instruments such as UNCLOS, a prospective regional COC between ASEAN and China, and more relevant...

23/10/2021

Middle Powers and the South China Sea: Time to Step Up, or Step Out?

The decision in July 2016 by a special tribunal of the Permanent Court of Arbitration to dismiss the legitimacy of China’s expansive territorial claims in the South China Sea has raised significant questions about how this issue should be managed in the future. Some have argued that the ruling presents an opportunity for regional states to reset interactions with Beijing by emphasising cooperation...

23/10/2021

Joint Development in the South China Sea: Lessons from the Past and Future Prospect

The South China Sea is often said to be rich in hydrocarbon reserves, although most of the deposits are unconfirmed, due in part to the multiple claims laid over them by several coastal economies.

23/10/2021

Unreliable evidence and the South China Sea problem

A review of the verifiable evidence tells a different history about the islands in the South China Sea than that found in the most of the commonly used reference texts.

23/10/2021

The East China Sea: Chinese Efforts to Establish a “New Normal” and Prospects for Peaceful Management

As the world turns its attention from Chinese militarization of the South China Sea islets to North Korean nuclear and missile provocations, China is making every effort to establish a “new normal” in the East China Sea with more frequent military and paramilitary presence and more offshore gas platforms construction there.

23/10/2021

An Effect of Trump and More: The Emerging Retrenchment of China’s Strategic Posture

By concluding that The United States can better achieve its goals by flattering a Chinese leader, Trump seemed to signal a reversal of roles: The United States may now need China’s help more than the other way around. Undoubtedly, President Xi will, with certain limitations, exploit this strategic situation to his best.

23/10/2021