Nationalism, Historical Consciousness and Regional Stability: Rising China as a Regional Power and Its New Assertiveness in the South China Sea

Abstract

This chapter looks at the impact of the contemporary rise of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as a regional power on the geopolitical configuration and international relations in the East Asian region, the main flashpoints of which include the high-profile disputes over the ownership of the islands, atolls, reefs, cays, and islets in the South China Sea (SCS)/Biên Đông (East Vietnam Sea)/West Philippine Sea.¹ While the presence of rich energy and other ocean resources in the surrounding waters makes these ownership disputes in large part resource conflicts, this maritime region as a whole also occupies an important strategic position in terms of geopolitics, being the key to the control of regional waters and the critical hub of the sea route transport connection between East Asia and Southeast Asia, West Asia and the Indian Ocean.