Abstract
South China Sea is only a small part on the map, but it plays a vital role in the stability of the Pacific-Asian region. South China Sea issue has been under spotlight. Five countries have claimed their rights on these tiny islands splashed in the region of South China Sea. Spratly Islands (Nansha) is endowed with abundant natural resources of petroleum, gas, and others. China, as an emerging super power, plays an important role in maintaining the stability of the region. Which role will China play, a bull in the china shop or a coordinator in finding a peaceful solution? This paper attempts to answer this question by presenting a critical assessment of China’s role in the South China Sea dispute.
Highlights
1.1 An Introduction of the South China Sea and Its Claimant States ‘The semi-enclosed South China Sea occupies a 648,000 square-mile portion of the Pacific Ocean stretching from the Strait of Malacca in the southwest to the Strait of Taiwan in the northeast’ (Burgess, 2003)
There is no denying that the South China Sea dispute plays a vital role in the relation between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries
After the analysis of realists’ and liberalists’ perspective, I come to the conclusion that there are still territorial disputes concerning the South China Sea between China and the ASEAN counterparts, cooperation, rather than a state of war, is more likely
Summary
1.1 An Introduction of the South China Sea and Its Claimant States ‘The semi-enclosed South China Sea occupies a 648,000 square-mile portion of the Pacific Ocean stretching from the Strait of Malacca in the southwest to the Strait of Taiwan in the northeast’ (Burgess, 2003). This area consists of hundreds of small islands, atolls and reefs, most of which locate in the Paracel (Xisha) and Spratly (Nansha) group islands (Burgess, 2003). Brunei claims no islands but a 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) running through the Spratlys (Valencia, 1993)
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