Conference Report: The South China Sea and U.S.-China-Asean Relations
On October 28, 2011, the Freeman Chair in China Studies at CSIS and the Keck Center for International and Strategic Studies at Claremont McKenna College convened a roundtable with some of the most insightful analysts and observers on Asia. The event was designed to examine recent developments in the South China Sea, and how they have affected U.S.-China-ASEAN relations in particular.
Among the key conclusions of the speakers are:
- Growing concerns about China’s assertive behavior and intentions has led countries in the region to urge the US to be more deeply engaged in the region, especially in Southeast Asia. The US is not pushing a particularly solution, however; if ASEAN is capable of solidarity, it is not necessary for the U.S. to be directly involved in multilateral discussions leading to a peaceful management and eventual solution.
- In the academic community there is a great deal of attention being paid to this issue, and there a growing realization that China will have difficulty in maintaining its position if it continues to stress the historical claims it has on the islands rather than justifying its claim solely on the basis of international law, especially UNCLOS.
- The US should develop a policy of managing friction, because even if the sovereignty and territorial disputes in the South China Sea are resolved, friction among countries in the region will still persist.
- China has on occasion used force or the threat of force in its territorial disputes in the past; however, it has also compromised to resolve many of the disputes on its periphery. More importantly, these disputes have not led to major setbacks in ties between China and the disputing countries. Beijing and its neighbors share mutual interests in retaining good relations.
Papers by the presenters:
Murray Hiebert and Greg Poling: ASEAN and the South China Sea
Bonnie Glaser: South China Sea Dispute: Causes and Solutions
David Finkelstein: Is China Getting Assertive on Territorial Disputes?
Taylor Fravel: China’s Behavior in its Territorial Disputes and Assertiveness in the South China Sea
