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The South China Sea in China’s Developing Maritime Strategy

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Power Politics in Asia’s Contested Waters

Part of the book series: Global Power Shift ((GLOBAL))

Abstract

The South China Sea (SCS) maritime sovereignty dispute between China and its neighbours in Southeast Asia had greatly increased in intensity since 2010, and has developed into one of the most complex security questions in East Asia. China has been seeking a ‘small step’ approach to legitimising and clarifying its claims in the SCS, using non-military and incremental policies to avoid an overt balance of power scenario which might provoke a stronger reaction from the United States and its regional allies. This process of restricting SCS policies to incrimental approaches and maintaining a degree of strategic ambiguity in the region has benefitted Chinese policy in the region, but the sovereignty question in the SCS remains open as Beijing's maritime power continues to grow and Washington contemplates its future security role in East Asia on several fronts.

The author wishes to thank Bjørnar Sverdrup-Thygeson for his comments on an earlier draft of this chapter.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Holmes (2013), Heydarian and Vu (2015).

  2. 2.

    Gao and Jia (2013), Majumdar (2015).

  3. 3.

    Raine and Le Mière (2013, p. 29), Glaser (2012).

  4. 4.

    Lanteigne (2008).

  5. 5.

    Zhou (2015).

  6. 6.

    Sarah Raine and Christian Le Mière, Regional Disorder, 74–5.

  7. 7.

    Chan and Li (2015).

  8. 8.

    Haddick (2012), Himmelman (2013).

  9. 9.

    Klare (2013).

  10. 10.

    ‘The US Rebalance Towards the Asia-Pacific: Leon Panetta,’ Shangri-La Dialogue 2012 First Plenary Session Leon Panetta, Secretary of Defense, United States, 2 June 2012, http://www.iiss.org/en/events/shangri%20la%20dialogue/archive/sld12-43d9/first-plenary-session-2749/leon-panetta-d67b; Jennings (2013), Whitlock (2012).

  11. 11.

    Khoo (2011).

  12. 12.

    ‘China Includes Part of Natuna Waters in its Map,’ Antara News, 13 March 2014, http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/93178/china-includes-part-of-natuna-waters-in-its-map.

  13. 13.

    Bussert and Elleman (2011).

  14. 14.

    Chen Jie (1994).

  15. 15.

    Segal (1996), Zha and Valencia (2001).

  16. 16.

    ‘Declaration of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea,’ Association of Southeast Asian Nations, 4 November 2002 http://www.asean.org/asean/external-relations/china/item/declaration-on-the-conduct-of-parties-in-the-south-china-sea

  17. 17.

    Li and Li (2003), Johnson (2012).

  18. 18.

    Lanteigne (2013).

  19. 19.

    Torode and Chan (2011), Bodeen (2011), Xu (2011), Tiezzi (2015), Yi (2014).

  20. 20.

    Gill and Huang (2009), Fravel (2011).

  21. 21.

    Li (2009), Yoshihara and Holmes (2005), Liu (2004).

  22. 22.

    Keyuan (1999).

  23. 23.

    Ma (2014), Mogato (2012), Kazianis (2014).

  24. 24.

    ‘Administrative Order No. 29, s. 2012: Naming the West Philippine Sea of the Republic of the Philippines, and for Other Purposes,’ Government of the Republic of the Philippines, 5 September 2012, http://www.gov.ph/2012/09/05/administrative-order-no-29-s-2012/

  25. 25.

    ‘Limits on the Seas: China: Maritime Claims in the South China Sea,’ United States Department of State: Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, 143 (5 December 2014); Shen (2002), Hayton (2014).

  26. 26.

    Shambaugh (2011), Noguchi (2011).

  27. 27.

    Ross (2009).

  28. 28.

    Kotani (2011).

  29. 29.

    McVadon (2009), O’Rourke (2014).

  30. 30.

    Ben Blanchard and Andrea Schalal, ‘Angry China shadows U.S. warship near man-made islands,’ Reuters, 28 October 2015, <http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/28/us-southchinasea-usa-idUSKCN0SK2AC20151028#HvfjoMLqlv5LgeQ4.97>.

  31. 31.

    A note verbale is an unsigned diplomatic communication commonly drawn up in the third person and unsigned, making it a less formal document than a diplomatic note. ‘Note Verbale CML/17/2009 from the Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the UNSecretary-General (May 7, 2009),’ http://www.un.org/Depts/los/clcs_new/submissions_files/mysvnm33_09/chn_2009re_mys_vnm_e.pdf; ‘Stirring Up the South China Sea (I)’ International Crisis Group Asia Report 223, (23 April 2012): 3.

  32. 32.

    Dutton (2011).

  33. 33.

    Zeng et al. (2015), Johnston (2013).

  34. 34.

    Kwok (2010), Qing (2012).

  35. 35.

    Dominguez (2015).

  36. 36.

    ‘Note Verbale CML/8/2011 from the Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the UN Secretary-General (Apr. 14, 2011)’, http://www.un.org/Depts/los/clcs_new/submissions_files/mysvnm33_09/chn_2011_re_phl_e.pdf

  37. 37.

    Bill Hayton, The South China Sea, 195–200.

  38. 38.

    Blasko and Fravel (2012).

  39. 39.

    Lam (2015) ‘Press Release: Arbitration between the Republic of the Philippines and the People's Republic of China’, Permanent Court of Arbitration, 29 October 2015.

  40. 40.

    ‘Vietnam Urged to Stop Sovereignty Violation,’ China Daily, 6 June 2011; ‘Vietnam Condemns China’s Sea Claims as “Serious Violation”,’ Reuters, 4 December 2012; Yoh (2014).

  41. 41.

    Ling and Toan (2012); ‘Vietnam Enacts Maritime Law as Tension High with China over So. China Sea,’ Platts Commodity News,’ 16 July 2012; ‘China Urges Vietnam to Correct Erroneous Maritime Law,’ Xinhua, 22 June 2012.

  42. 42.

    ‘HYSY 981 Drilling Rig: Vietnam’s Provocation and China’s Position,’ Xinhua, 8 June http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2014-06/08/c_133392240.htm

  43. 43.

    Ririhena (2012); ‘South China Sea Tension Mounts Near Filipino Shipwreck,’ Reuters, 29 May 2013.

  44. 44.

    An (2013), Hwai (2013).

  45. 45.

    Phipps and Hardy (2015).

  46. 46.

    O’Connor and Hardy (2015), Page and Barnes (2015).

  47. 47.

    ‘Speech by Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet Australian Strategic Policy Institute Canberra, Australia Admiral Harry B. Harris Jr.’ 31 March 2015, Commander, US Pacific Fleet, http://www.cpf.navy.mil/leaders/harry-harris/speeches/2015/03/ASPI-Australia.pdf; Hardy and O’Connor (2015); ‘US Navy: Beijing Creating a “Great Wall of Sand” in South China Sea,’ The Guardian / Associated Press, 31 March 2015, http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/31/china-great-wall-sand-spratlys-us-navy; Spetalnick and Blanchard (2015).

  48. 48.

    ‘Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying’s Regular Press Conference on April 9, 2015,’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, 9 April 2015, http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/t1253488.shtml; Glaser (2015).

  49. 49.

    Yahuda (2013).

  50. 50.

    ‘The US Approach to Regional Security: Chuck Hagel,’ Shangri-La Dialogue 2013 First Plenary Session Chuck Hagel, Secretary of Defense, United States, 1 June 2013. http://www.iiss.org/en/events/shangri%20la%20dialogue/archive/shangri-la-dialogue-2013-c890/first-plenary-session-ee9e/chuck-hagel-862d

  51. 51.

    Cronin and Sullivan (2013).

  52. 52.

    ‘Stirring Up the South China Sea (I),’ International Crisis Group, Asia Report 223 (23 April 2012).

  53. 53.

    Chen (2014).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, Norsk Utenrikspolitisk Institutt (NUPI), C.J. Hambros plass 2 D, Pb 8159 Dep, 0033, Oslo, Norway

    Marc Lanteigne

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  1. Center for Global Studies, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany

    Enrico Fels

  2. and Humanities, University of Social Sciences, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

    Truong-Minh Vu

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Lanteigne, M. (2016). The South China Sea in China’s Developing Maritime Strategy. In: Fels, E., Vu, TM. (eds) Power Politics in Asia’s Contested Waters. Global Power Shift. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-26152-2_5

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