The challenge of conflict resolution in the South China Sea dispute: Examining the prospect of a stable peace in East Asia

College

College of Liberal Arts

Department/Unit

International Studies

Document Type

Article

Source Title

International Journal of China Studies

Volume

7

Issue

1

First Page

23

Last Page

51

Publication Date

4-1-2016

Abstract

© 2016, Institute of China Studies. All rights reserved. Using Professor Charles A. Kupchan’s concept of stable peace, this article explores the possibility of defusing the tension in the South China Sea through conflict resolution. At the present, the precarious situation in the contested territory is stabilized by a balance of power system. This system springs from the littoral states’ (the Philippines and Vietnam) policies of drawing other maritime powers such as the United States (US) and Japan into the issue to constrain an assertive China. Apprehensive of China’s growing power in East Asia, the US and Japan have increased their strategic presence in the South China Sea. These developments have transformed the dispute into a case of conflict irresolution. This article concludes that the imperative variable to jumpstart the process of resolving the South China Sea imbroglio is China’s willingness to accommodate unilaterally the territorial entitlements of the small claimant states.

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Disciplines

International Relations

Keywords

Pacific settlement of international disputes; South China Sea--Boundaries; Security, International--East Asia

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