Abstract
Nowadays, the South China Sea has been identified with increasing defense spending and military modernization of the neighboring countries which are driven by China’s assertiveness in the region. China’s assertive behavior in the South China Sea is an expression of its growing ambition over the region which is part of its core interests. China’s assertiveness is buoyed by its significant military presence and power projection in the region. Japan and the Philippines are having converging threat perceptions towards China’s assertiveness in the South China Sea as well as sharing common interests to balance the assertive China. Contested with China’s assertive behavior, since 2012, Japan and the Philippines have been conducting dynamic maritime diplomacy in order to safeguard the status quo of the sea from the assertive China. The implementation of Japan-Philippines maritime diplomacy in responding to China’s assertiveness in South China Sea is a form of “proactive approach” by Japan, following the “Proactive Contribution to Peace” banner resounded under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe administration. The proactive approach in this research features the concept of “balance of power” and “cooperative maritime diplomacy”.
Highlights
Nowadays, the South China Sea has been identified with increasing defense spending and military modernization of the neighboring countries which are driven by China‟s assertiveness in the region
Japan has historically been involved in tensions with China since the First Sino-Japanese War until today‟s East China Sea dispute; in which China‟s assertiveness is in tandem with that of in South China Sea (Shoji, 2014), Sino-Japanese longstanding dispute in East China Sea contributes to shaping the threat perceptions in the context of South China Sea
The previous figure shows that Japan-Philippines maritime diplomacy is aiming to enhance diplomatic influence and strengthening the relations with the Philippines through its multilayered exchanges and port visits; enhance the capacity, knowledge, and compatibility with the Philippine‟s navies through HA/DR and joint trainings; while build harmonization and confidence among other nations through exercises and joint maritime security operations
Summary
Abstrak Dewasa ini, Laut Cina Selatan ditandai dengan peningkatan belanja pertahanan dan modernisasi militer oleh negara-negara sekitar yang dipicu oleh sifat agresif Cina di kawasan. Keagresifan Cina di Laut Cina Selatan merupakan bentuk ambisi Cina dalam menguasai kawasan tersebut yang merupakan bagian dari kepentingan nasionalnya. Jepang dan Filipina memandang keagresifan Cina di Laut Cina Selatan sebagai ancaman, dan sehingga memiliki kepentingan bersama untuk merespon ancaman tersebut. Diperhadapkan dengan keagresifan Cina, sejak 2012, Jepang dan Filipina telah melakukan diplomasi maritim guna menjaga status quo Laut Cina Selatan dari keagresifan Cina. Implementasi dari diplomasi maritim Jepang-Filipina dalam menyaingi keagresifan Cina di Laut Cina Selatan adalah bentuk „pendekatan proaktif‟ Jepang, mengikuti kebijakan “Proactive Contribution to Peace” yang dikumandangkan pemerintahan Perdana Menteri Shinzo Abe. Pendekatan proaktif dalam penelitian ini merupakan bentuk konseptualisasi dari balance of power dan cooperative maritime diplomacy. Kata kunci: Laut Cina Selatan, keagresifan Cina, diplomasi maritim, hubungan bilateral Jepang-Filipina, pendekatan proaktif
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