Power Politics in Asias Contested Waters: Territorial Disputes in the South China Sea (Global Power Shift Book 0)

This volume offers a comprehensive and empirically rich analysis of regional maritime disputes in the South China Sea (SCS). By discussing important aspects of the rise of Chinaℓ́ℓs maritime power, such as territorial disputes, altered perceptions of geo-politics and challenges to the US-led regional order, the authors demonstrate that a regional power shift is taking place in Asia-Pacific. The volume also provides in-depth discussions of the responses to Chinese actions by SCS claimants as well as by important non-claimant actors 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 This volume offers a comprehensive and empirically rich analysis of regional maritime disputes in the South China Sea (SCS). By discussing important aspects of the rise of Chinaĺls maritime power, such as territorial disputes, altered perceptions of geo-politics and challenges to the US-led regional order, the authors demonstrate that a regional power shift is taking place in Asia-Pacific. The volume also provides in-depth discussions of the responses to Chinese actions by SCS claimants as well as by important non-claimant actors