Russia in the South China Sea: Balancing and Hedging (original) (raw)
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The PRC’s Approach Towards the South China Sea Territorial Dispute and Russia’s Foreign Policy
World Economy and International Relations, 2021
Territorial dispute in the South China Sea (SCS) which involves China and several ASEAN member-states has recently become one of the major threats to international security in Southeast Asia leading to continuous political tensions in the region. It may result not only in a split within ASEAN but also in drawing the non-regional powers into conflict. U.S.A. as the most important of such powers tries to use the existing tensions for strengthening its influence in the region and its stance in confrontation with China. While Moscow has recently made efforts to intensify its presence in Asia, it still does not see the South China Sea region as a foreign policy priority. Generally, it sticks to neutrality on the issue of sovereignty over the disputed islands. At the same time, Russia’s approach to the SCS problem can be characterised by a limited shift towards strengthening support of Beijing’s position. Acting this way Russia wishes to support a strategic partner in order to win its str...
Heritage and Sustainable Development, 2024
The South China Sea (SCS) conflict has become a critical factor for regional peace and development with growing geopolitical competition between China and the USA. To face the rising threat of China, the study argues that the balance of power theory is relevant to explain why Vietnam attempts to strengthen strategic alliances with the USA, Russia, EU, and India to balance against the rising threat of China in SCS. However, this theory is not able to explain why Vietnam has a bandwagoning policy toward China at the same time. To fill the gap of the previous studies, this study endeavors to put forward the point that as geopolitical rivalry between the two superpowers, the United States and China, intensifies, Vietnam is put in a predicament of balancing the economic and the political choices against the choices of taking a neutral stand against the assertiveness of China in the SCS. Further, the alternative traditional balance options with ASEAN, and Russia are not sufficiently effective for Vietnam to balance against China since the position of both ASEAN and Russia is much weaker than China. This study also suggests that the support of the USA, EU, and its alliance for Vietnam's position creates unbearable costs for China's aggressive behaviors in SCS. By using the mathematical and logical framework, the study suggests that Vietnam tends to adopt a mixed strategy (balancing, bandwagoning, neutrality) in dealing with China's threats.
Strategic Rebalancing: Sino-Us Interplay in the South China Sea
International journal of applied research in social sciences, 2022
For the last three-decade, the United is acting as a hegemon in the world. Largely it has established the rules of world politics with its allies. Even in some areas (an example is the Iraq war), it acted unilaterally to achieve its foreign policy goals. But with the rise of China in the last couple of decades the balance of power is changing in some regions. Especially in the South China Sea where the United States has many allies and also its troops, China is asserting its power. The US is no longer the hegemon states in the South China Sea to develop rules of the game. The United States is working passionately to rebalance China in the South China Sea. The results of this rebalancing strategy are still unclear but it has created vulnerabilities for regional peace. This paper will analyze the great powers (the United States and China) competition in the South China Sea. It will explain the effect of this rivalry on regional peace. Secondary data is used in the study. Data was collected from books, research papers, prominent news agencies, and speeches of world leaders.
The Game of Fluctuating Interests: USA and the Security Architecture in the South China Sea
2022
Throughout the past period, both the U.S and China further expanded their escalation actions (especially during the Trump and the Biden administrations). Within this context, the aim of this paper is to analyze the structural factors that steer the Chinese side to either keep escalating (potentially invading Taiwan), or to practice fluctuation of interests. By questioning the balance of power theorem between China and their adversaries (notably the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia). The literature about China's rise is voluminous, and consistently pinpoints key historical moments of increased tensions among the Western and Eastern fronts. Evidence points to significant variations within the Chinese modus operandi when it comes to use of force in territorial disputes. As it stands, our position is that barriers to direct conflict between the U.S and China are far too significant.
2012
The article looks at the increasing assertiveness of China in its coastal areas and examines the response of the U.S. and other regional actors. The article analyzes the major causes of the tensions arising in South China and East China Sea and provides an outlook into the future. It argues that China’s rise and the consequential hedging against its growing power by other regional actors and related disputes over territory have a potential of complicating the future security in Asia. It concludes that the U.S. must continue to play a key role as a guarantee of the regional order in Southeast Asia. Keywords: US, China, Vietnam, Taiwan, South China Sea, East China Sea, Japan, Philippines, Thailand, South Korea, Indonesia, ASEAN, UNCLOS, territorial disputes, EEZ, arms races, hedging
The Tyranny of Geography: Vietnamese Strategies to Constrain China in the South China Sea
CONTEMPORARY SOUTHEAST ASIA, 2011
There is an apparent paradox in Sino-Vietnamese relations. On the one hand, these two countries are experiencing arguably the greatest friction over territorial disputes in the South China Sea in recent years. There is palpable Vietnamese nationalist anti-Chinese sentiment among large sections of the political elite. Vietnam's military establishment has stepped up its self-help efforts with major bigticket arms procurements including more Sukhoi-30 multirole jet fighters and diesel powered Kilo-class conventional submarines. On the other hand, high-level party, state and military leaders continue to exchange visits and speak of bilateral relations in effusive terms. Vietnam's leaders want more trade, investment and allround exchanges with China. This paper will apply Brantly Womack's theory of asymmetry to explain this paradox with specific focus on the South China Sea. It will examine the mechanisms used by Vietnam, as the weaker state, to ensure its independence through strategies designed to reassure China of its pre-eminent position in the East Asian regional system and strategies designed to elicit Chinese acknowledgment of Vietnam's legitimate sphere of autonomy. Both Vietnamese strategies are designed to enmesh China in a structured relationship to ensure more predictable behaviour in their bilateral relationship and to lessen the chances of armed conflict over territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
This paper examines the regional security implications of China's realpolitik approach in its territorial claim over the South China Sea. It observes that China uses the following power-politics tactics: (i) citing a historic claim; (ii) applying a bilateral approach to weaken ASEAN; (iii) relying on a divideand-rule stratagem in dealing individually with ASEAN member states and creating a wedge between ASEAN and the USA; and (iv) buttressing its naval capabilities to resolve the territorial dispute according to its own terms. This consequently has driven the small claimant states, like Vietnam and the Philippines, to adopt a balancing strategy that involves the USA in the issue. In conclusion, the paper argues that with China's realpolitik approach, the idea that Europe's (violent) past is becoming East Asia's future is turning into reality.p afo_1084 262..289
Edited Volume on The Dynamics in the Indo-Pacific: From Geopolitics and Geoeconomics Perspectives, 2024
This chapter explores the security dynamics in the South China Sea, focusing on how the actions of the Philippines and China contribute to an escalating security dilemma. By examining the historical basis for territorial claims, such as the Philippines’ establishment of the Kalayaan municipality and China’s reliance on the Nine-Dash Line, the chapter highlights the strategic measures both nations have taken to assert their claims. Key developments, including the South China Sea Arbitration and the forced transfer of Thomas Cloma’s claims, provide insight into the legal and historical contexts of the dispute. The chapter also draws parallels with the Russo-Ukrainian War and the IsraeliPalestinian conflict, illustrating how regional disputes can lead to arms races and increased military spending. Recommendations from Latin American case studies, such as the Beagle Channel and Chile-Peru disputes, offer a framework for peaceful resolution through international mediation and adherence to legal processes, providing alternatives to militarization in the region.
THE UNITED STATES' CHINA CONTAINMENT STRATEGY AND THE SOUTH CHINA SEA DISPUTE
Teixeira, Vitor, 2019
The common contention regarding the South China Sea is that its characteristic assets are the central or even the sole explanation for the debate. However, it is the argument of this study that this view is distorted and perilously deceptive. This study argues that there are multiple explanations for these territor ial disputes and that they are significantly complicated by the proximity of a few players, the ascent of powerful new forces, the impact of financial power, the dispersion of military and political power, and geopolitical rivalry in Asia. The Unites State s views China as a threat to its global hegemony and so has a policy of "containment". In the context of the South China Sea, its policies therefore are not intended to resolve disputes in a mutually beneficial way, but to limit China's influence. This for ces countries to "choose sides" rather than engaging in mutually beneficial trade. The policy has now also led to a trade war, which could escalate into a military confrontation. This investigation examines the progression of this debate by taking into consideration the various geostrategic, geo economics, and geopolitical interests of the parties involved and suggests a fundamental paradigm shift in the direction of research to be more conducive toward finding a realistic and peaceful resolution to the disputes in the South China Sea.