Power Politics in Asia’s Contested Waters: Territorial Disputes in the South China Sea

Front Matter....Pages i-vii
Front Matter....Pages 1-1
Introduction: Understanding the Importance of the Disputes in the South China Sea....Pages 3-23
A Sea of Troubles: International Law and the Spitsbergen Plus Approach to Conflict Management in the South China Sea....Pages 25-55
Legalism, Developmentalism and Securitization: The Case of Territorial Disputes in the South China Sea....Pages 57-76
An Unmanned South China Sea? Understanding the Risks and Implications of the Arrival of the Digital and Robotic Revolution in Military Affairs in the SCS....Pages 77-94
Front Matter....Pages 95-95
The South China Sea in China’s Developing Maritime Strategy....Pages 97-115
China’s Sea Power Aspirations and Strategic Behaviour in the South China Sea from the Theoretical Perspective of Identity Construction....Pages 117-137
Punish the Philippines, Forgive Vietnam? The South China Sea Disputes in the Eyes of Chinese Experts....Pages 139-157
China’s Nationalist Narrative of the South China Sea: A Preliminary Analysis....Pages 159-172
Contradiction of Strategic Goals as a Major Constrain of Chinese Power in the South China Sea....Pages 173-196
Steel Hulls and High-Stakes: Prospect Theory and China’s Use of Military Force in the South China Sea....Pages 197-224
Assembling a City in the Ocean: Sansha Island in the South China Sea and the New Politics of Chinese Territorialization....Pages 225-243
Front Matter....Pages 245-245
Navigating Stormy Waters: The Triangular Relationship between the United States, Vietnam and China and the South China Sea Disputes....Pages 247-270
Vietnam’s Pursuit of Alliance Politics in the South China Sea....Pages 271-288
‘Coopetition’ and Risk Tolerance in the South China Sea: Indonesia and Malaysia’s Middle Power Strategies....Pages 289-317
Delicate Equilibrium: Indonesia’s Approach to the South China Sea....Pages 319-336
The US-Philippine-China Triangle: From Equi-balancing to Counter-Balancing amid the South China Sea Disputes....Pages 337-357
China-ASEAN Relations and the South China Sea: Beyond Balancing and Bandwagoning?....Pages 359-386
Front Matter....Pages 387-387
U.S. Policy Towards the Disputes in the South China Sea Since 1995....Pages 389-402
Rising Chinese Power and Territorial Assertiveness in the South China Sea: India-Vietnam Strategic Partnership as a Counterbalancing Endeavor....Pages 403-423
Keeping the Dragon at Bay: The South China Sea Dispute in Japan’s Security Strategy....Pages 425-440
Front Matter....Pages 387-387
Australia, India and Japan: The Three ‘Worried Outsiders’ and Their Strategies Towards the South China Sea....Pages 441-468
Distant Partners: Europe and the South China Sea....Pages 469-491
The South China Sea and New Zealand’s Foreign Policy Balancing Act....Pages 493-505
Front Matter....Pages 507-507
Pacific Community for Peace and Governance: Towards a Framework for Peace and Security in the Pacific....Pages 509-521
The Use or Threat of Force in the South China Sea Disputes Since 1945: A Timeline....Pages 523-539
Back Matter....Pages 541-546