scholarly journals Military Build-up in Southeast Asia and the South China Sea: How Relevant Are the Disputes with China?

2021 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 565-591
Author(s):  
Bruno Hendler ◽  
André Luiz Cançado Motta
Keyword(s):  
South China Sea ◽  
South China ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
The South China Sea ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
The South ◽  
Entire Area ◽  
China Sea ◽  
The World

Abstract Abstract: The South China Sea (SCS) is one of the regions with the most dynamic and intense military activity in the world. This is largely due to commercial and political interests linked to the region, which is crucial for global maritime trade and rich in natural resources. China is the most interested party in the SCS, claiming 90% of its entire area, a portion referred to by Beijing as the “nine-dash line.” The present article seeks to analyse both quantitatively and qualitatively the influence of China on the military spending of four Southeast (SE) Asian countries that are also interested in the SCS: Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia. For quantitative analysis, we used the data for military expenditure, armaments acquisition, the frequency and type of incidents involving national navies and/or civilians. For qualitative analysis, we retrieved information from hemerographic sources and official documents from the United States, China, SE Asian countries, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and the World Bank (WB).

China-US rivalry in South China Sea is muted for now

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
South China Sea ◽  
South China ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
The South China Sea ◽  
South East Asia ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
The South ◽  
Content Type ◽  
China Sea

Subject The South China Sea dispute. Significance China and the United States increased their military activities in the South China Sea in January and February, with US ‘freedom of navigation operations’ (FONOPs) pushing back on Chinese maritime jurisdictional claims in the area. The Philippines before June 2016 contested China’s expansive claims. Increased rivalry between Beijing and Washington in South-east Asia raises the risk of a dangerous naval confrontation. Impacts The Philippines will continue to solicit investment from China. China is unlikely to undertake actions in the South China Sea that would seriously irk the Philippines. South-east Asian countries will emphasise the importance of the region not becoming a theatre for China-US rivalry.

scholarly journals Chinese Assertiveness in the South China Sea and Southeast Asian Responses

2011 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlyle A. Thayer
Keyword(s):  
South China Sea ◽  
South China ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
The South China Sea ◽  
Commercial Fishing ◽  
The South ◽  
China Sea ◽  
Asean Member ◽  
Before And After

This article reviews Chinese assertive behaviour towards the Philippines and Vietnam over South China Sea issues in 2011. The article compares and contrasts Chinese diplomatic behaviour in the period before and after the adoption by ASEAN member states and China of Guidelines for the Implementation the Declaration on Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea in July. In the first period China aggressively asserted its claims to sovereignty by interfering with commercial fishing and oil exploration activities of vessels operating in the Exclusive Economic Zones of Vietnam and the Philippines. Both states resisted Chinese actions. The Philippines allocated increased funding for defence modernization, lobbied ASEAN states and shored up its alliance with the United States. Vietnam too protested Chinese action and undertook symbolic steps to defend national sovereignty. In the second period all states moved to contain South China Sea tensions from affecting their larger bilateral relations. It remains to be seen, however, if proposed confidence building measures will ameliorate Chinese assertiveness.

Nuclear weapons complicate South China Sea disputes

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
South China Sea ◽  
South China ◽  
Hainan Island ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
The South China Sea ◽  
The South ◽  
Content Type ◽  
China Sea

Significance However, China's navy already has an operational sea-based nuclear deterrent based on Hainan Island. The deployment of nuclear-armed submarines, and their need to reach the mid-Pacific to threaten the continental United States, makes the South China Sea an arena not just of maritime disputes but of US-China military rivalry. Impacts The strategic importance of the Philippines, Taiwan and Singapore to the United States will increase. A new defence agreement with the Philippines will, as of last month, support US military activities in the area. Washington will encourage greater Japanese involvement in the South China Sea; as long as Shinzo Abe is prime minister, Japan will oblige.

scholarly journals US-Philippines Security Relations (1991–2016)

2020 ◽  
pp. 56-66
Author(s):  
Nataliya Gorodnia
Keyword(s):  
South China Sea ◽  
South China ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
The South China Sea ◽  
The South ◽  
China Sea ◽  
Security Relations ◽  
The U.S ◽  
Naval Base

This paper describes and discusses the major developments in the U.S.-Philippines security relations in 1991-2016, between signing an agreement to extend a rent of Subic Bay Naval base by the U.S. and inauguration of R. Duterte administration. The research has revealed three periods in the U.S.-Philippines security relations in 1991-2016. The first period started when the Philippines senate rejected to ratify the Subic Bay Agreement in September 1991, and the United States had to evacuate the naval base on November 1992. It lasted until the U.S. and the Philippines signed a Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) in 1998. The Philippines government’s interest in reaching a new agreement was caused by China’s 1995 military occupation of the Panganiban reef and other incidents at the disputed territories in the South China Sea. The Philippines claimed that they composed a part of their exclusive economic zone, according to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The second period lasted since ratification of the VFA by the Philippines parliament in 1999 until aggravation of the situation in the South China Sea in 2011. This period was featured by enhanced political and military cooperation between the U.S. and the Philippines, and significant U.S. assistance in modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). In September 2001–2006, the security cooperation was focused on the counterterrorism activitiesin the Philippines by military means. In 2007–2011, the focus shifted to humanitarian operations and development assistance. During the third period, in March 2011 – June 2016, B. Aquino administration refocused attention from domestic security issues to the threats in the South China Sea. In 2014, the Philippines and the U.S. signed the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, which provided American ships, aircrafts and military personnel with an access to several military bases of the AFP on a rotating basis. The Agreement essentially improved U.S. strategic position in the Southeast Asia and the South China Sea.

scholarly journals The South China Sea issue in U.S. - Vietnam relations under President B. Obama

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 152-161
Author(s):  
Nguyen Ha Trang
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
South China Sea ◽  
South China ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
The South China Sea ◽  
The Body ◽  
The South ◽  
China Sea ◽  
Asean Countries

The South China Sea is one of the most important trade pathways in the world. Its strategic economic importance and its geographic location at the confluence of several spheres of influence have rendered it one of the “world’s hotspots”. The South China Sea issue began as a territorial dispute over the sovereignty of the islands and sea territory involving China, five ASEAN countries including Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, and Taiwan. While the South China Sea has been the subject of disputes of sovereignty for some time, the conflict began to intensify when China established its nine-dash line in 2012 outlining its territorial claims in the body of water. China’s aggressive stance has prompted reactions from ASEAN countries as well as the US. The South China Sea is an area with relevance to U.S.’s national economic, strategic, security interests, so that increased tension within this area may threaten U.S.'s national interests. Vietnam is also aware that the United States is a superpower that shares concerns about China, as well as its influence in the region can play an important role in balancing power in the South China Sea Conflict. U.S presence help to contain China's aggressive actions, and multilateralization or internationalization of the South China Sea issues is also a contributing factor to control conflict. Therefore, the dispute in the South China Sea is a factor making a closer relationship between the U.S. and Vietnam. Vietnam and the United States established a Comprehensive Partnership in 2013, under which the two countries will strengthen and expand cooperation. In the future, U.S. - Vietnam cooperation will promote strong development, including sensitive fields, because of based on common strategic interests, including "sensitive" fields such as security and defense.

scholarly journals KEKUATAN NASIONAL TIONGKOK DALAM SENGKETA LAUT TIONGKOK SELATAN

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 292-319
Author(s):  
Sukawarsini Djelantik
Keyword(s):  
South China Sea ◽  
South China ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
The South China Sea ◽  
Great Power ◽  
The South ◽  
China Sea ◽  
The Us ◽  
National Power

The South China Sea (LTS) has a strategic position and rich in natural resources. These waters are claimed by several countries such as China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, and Taiwan. The overlapping claims have not yet reached a resolution, even though tensions have increased and potentially to become an open conflict. The United States (US) and China have economic, political and strategic interests in winning the competition in the South China Sea. This paper answers the question what is China's position in the dispute in the South China Sea? Has China as a great power succeeded in utilizing its national power to control the waters? China's position is analyzed using the concept of national power consisting of Diplomacy, Information, Military and Economics (DIME), which is commonly used to assess state power. China's strength is compared indirectly with the US, which is the main competitor in the region from a diplomatic, military and economic point of view. From the diplomatic aspect, China controls countries in Southeast Asia which are part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) infrastructure project, whose various projects are funded through the Asian Investment Infrastructure Bank (AIIB). To confirm the claim, China has carried out various constructions of artificial islands in the disputed area, which are equipped with military facilities. From an economic perspective, China's rapid growth in recent decades has made it one of the most respected world powers. These facts indicated that China is a great power that has managed to match the power and influence of the US in the region. In the case of the LTS dispute, it is likely that China will win the competition, influence and support from the disputing countries. China; South China Sea; diplomacy, information, military, economy

ASEAN-US defence ties will grow as sea contest flares

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
South China Sea ◽  
South China ◽  
Code Of Conduct ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
The South China Sea ◽  
Asia Pacific ◽  
The South ◽  
Content Type ◽  
China Sea

Subject ASEAN-US defence and security ties outlook. Significance The 'Shangri-La Dialogue' held in Singapore between May 29 and 31 evidenced the growing China-US divide over the South China Sea, particularly over China's island-building activities. The frictions will be revisited at the ASEAN Regional Forum, in Malaysia on June 10. Burgeoning tensions in the South China Sea increase pressure on South-east Asian countries, and ASEAN, to maintain equilibrium in relations with China and the United States as individual ASEAN countries pursue their own maritime interests. Impacts The Philippines will seek further US defence support, and develop security ties with Vietnam and Japan. Singapore will push for a South China Sea code of conduct, but China is unlikely to consent to a binding code. US Pacific Command leadership will provide some US strategy continuity in the Asia-Pacific region.

scholarly journals THE SHIFT AND CONTINUITY OF THE PHILIPPINES� FOREIGN POLICY UNDER RODRIGO DUTERTE ON THE SOUTH CHINA SEA ISSUE

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (01) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennie Joyce Candice ◽  
Anak Agung Banyu Perwita
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
South China Sea ◽  
Southeast Asia ◽  
South China ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
The South China Sea ◽  
The South ◽  
National Interests ◽  
China Sea ◽  
The World

The South China Sea (SCS) has become the largest and the crucial Sea Lanes of Communication (SLOCs) not only for Southeast Asia but also for the world. As one of the claimants of the South China Sea, Philippines were always and will always be trying to protect its national interests in the disputed waterways as part of its national territory. This article discusses about the shift and continuity of the Philippines� foreign policy on the South China Sea issue. It explicates the shift and continuity of Philippines foreign policy under Rodrigo Duterte to the South China Sea. A more focus elaboration will be devoted on how the Philippines implemented its foreign policy to deal with China in the South China Sea dispute.It argues that Duterte foreign policy to this delicate issue is always based on the strategic dynamic of its �two-level game� (domestic and international political stimuli) to its national interests.

scholarly journals Remarks by Oliver Lewis

2018 ◽  
Vol 112 ◽  
pp. 10-12
Author(s):  
Oliver Lewis
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
South China Sea ◽  
South China ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
The South China Sea ◽  
The South ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
China Sea ◽  
Shared Goal

When the Tribunal issued its July 2016 Award in the Philippines-China arbitration, the United States announced that the decision is an important contribution to the shared goal of a peaceful resolution to disputes in the South China Sea. The United States strongly supports the rule of law and efforts to resolve disputes in the South China Sea peacefully, including through arbitration. As provided in Article 296 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the decision is “final and shall be complied with” by both parties to the dispute.

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