Strategic Rebalancing: Sino-Us Interplay in the South China Sea (original) (raw)
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Strategic comparison of China and USA in the South China Sea
Vol. 1 No. 1 (2020): J. Peace Dipl. , 2020
South China Sea is one of the most significant maritime regions in the world known for the territorial disputes amongst its multiple regional claimants. The past decade has seen the rise of the North American involvement in this region which has made this region much more vulnerable. This study sheds light over the significance of this complex maritime dispute, highlights the trends that contributed to shaping of the dispute into its current state, and analyzes the involvement of USA and comparatively, the strategies of USA and China in the South China sea dispute.
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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
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South China Sea (SCS) has been a disputed area for decades due to its strategic economic and politic geographical location. Different states have been claiming different, sometimes overlapping, parts of the region because the sea contains rich natural resources. However, the tension of the region has been escalating more recently due to the increasing need of energy resources, especially after the World War II. Therefore, claimants have been acting increasingly more aggressive in order to reinforce their claims. The two great powers, United States and China, has also been extremely involved in the disputes. Considering that both states have interests within the region, an increase of militarization in order to pursue those interests have been done. Analyzing the condition through the theory of security dilemma, the rise of one's power in order to pursue security will cause threat for the other. Therefore, the other party will tend to balance out the power by also increasing their own security. This is the condition currently happening in the SCS. The militarization of the SCS which at first was done to improve security of the region bites back in the form of insecurity.
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China, ASEAN and the US remain the most significant players in the South China Sea. Relationships among the triangle set the tone for the situation in the South China Sea. In recent years, action-reaction cycle in the South China Sea has increased tension in the region, deteriorated relations between China and its neighboring countries, posed challenges for ASEAN in maintaining centrality in the regional security structure, and strengthened US determination to "rebalance" toward Asia. The South China Sea issue has become the bellwether for how China will rise peacefully and play by established rules, a test case for the US in sustaining its supremacy in the region and a challenger for ASEAN unity. This paper will explore the interests and policy of China, ASEAN and the US in the South China Sea, analyze the interrelationships within the triangle in recent years and envisage its implications for regional stability.
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the rest: journal of politics and development, 2021
The South China Sea is a contested region between China and different smaller states (Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Brunei) of the Asia Pacific region. The United States is acting as a balancer by supporting smaller nations against assertive Chinese policies. Moreover, the United States has a military presence in the region. According to the US, it has a military presence to protect its allies and freedom of navigation. China considers these US designs as a threat to its interest in the region. The United State who was once considered the sole superpower in the world is now challenged by China in the South China Sea. Power Transition theory explains if the emerging superpower does not follow the rules established by the existing superpower then the conflict is inevitable. As China is building artificial islands, it could invite a strong response from the United States that could eventually lead to a major conflict. This Study analyzes the conflict in the South China Sea by using the lens of Power Transition Theory.
Dilemma in the South China Sea : Conflict Management & the Increasing of China ’ s Power
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This article seeks to explain about security dilemma and offense-defense balance in the South China Sea. The rising of China’s power in the South China Sea that facilitate security dilemma makes cooperation between claimant countries becoming more difficult. Regarding this matter, it’s important to explain why cooperation in the area is difficult in the midst of many literatures that advocated cooperation as the tools for conflict management in the South China Sea. This article refers to the concepts of security dilemma and offense-defense balance by Robert Jervis. By employing qualitative research method of literature review, this article illustrates the distribution of power in the region. Through data exploration, this article finds that China’s offensive power in the South China Sea is massive and triggers security dilemma. Thus, this article argues that security dilemma caused by China’s offensive power in South China Sea is the main the reason that inhibiting cooperation betwe...
The Game of Fluctuating Interests: USA and the Security Architecture in the South China Sea
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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.
International Journal of Social Science and Religion (IJSSR), 2020
Nowadays, the United States shows its foreign policy focus to the Asia Pacific region where there is a border conflict between China and the countries in the Southeast Asia Region. This paper tries to analyze the increasing tension of the US and Chinese military forces in the South China Sea and see how the challenges Indonesia will face with the escalation in the South China Sea. The United States of America began to increase its military power aimed to overseeing the South China Sea and Chinese Hegemony. The increase in US military strength certainly threatens China's interests in the South China Sea so that even in the middle of Covid-19, China is showing its military strength by conducting patrols and joint exercises in the waters of southern China. The improvement of the two superpowers can be seen in the framework of the Balancing Power theory, which emphasizes the analysis of military force tension in both countries. Whereas in analyzing the challenges faced by Indonesia,...