The Case of South China

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Case of South China MANAGING CONFLICT IN TROUBLED WATERS: THE CASE OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA By Nalanda Roy A dissertation submitted to the Graduate School-Newark Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Program in Global Affairs Written under the direction of Professor Yale H. Ferguson and approved by _______________________________ _______________________________ ______________________________ _______________________________ Newark, New Jersey May 2013 Copyright page 2013 Nalanda Roy ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Copyright 2013 by Nalanda Roy, [email protected]. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of the material protected by this copyright notice may be reproduced or utilized in any form without the permission from the copyright owner. ABSTRACT Managing Conflict In Troubled Waters: The Case of the South China Sea By NALANDA ROY Dissertation Director: Dr. Yale H. Ferguson The South China Sea has recently become the locus of disputes that have the potential of escalating into serious international conflicts. It is a critical region among the disputing countries because of its geographic position in major oceanic routes used by crude oil tankers from the Persian Gulf to Asia and for transporting goods to the rest of the world. It is important, as well, for its promising offshore oil and gas reserves, other undersea resources, and rich marine life. This dissertation addresses three questions: First, what factors increase the probability of conflicts in the South China Sea region? Second, what is the role of ASEAN in managing conflicts in the SCS region? And third, what is the likely utility of other conflict prevention mechanisms in the SCS region? Following a careful review of existing literature relevant to the South China Sea disputes, the study assesses the effectiveness of UNCLOS as an international legal regime in addressing them. It also discusses each of the disputing parties, their individual stakes in specific disputes, and the long history and current status of the disputes. Special attention is paid to the involvement of China as well as “external” powers like the United States and India. The dissertation additionally weighs ASEAN’s role in the development and functioning of Asia-Pacific multilateralism, and its limited capacity to create a sense of regional community and address SCS disputes effectively. ASEAN’s main role has ii been one of reiterating the norm of peaceful resolution of conflicts and engaging the parties in successive conferences, workshops, and supposed confidence-building measures. Although this study does suggest a few more such measures that might help to moderate tensions, it ends on a pessimistic note about the prospect of future armed conflicts in the South China Sea. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In preparing this thesis I am indebted to many people both in the United States and India whose encouragement and support helped me to write this dissertation, and it is a great pleasure for me to thank them all. First, I would like to thank the Division of Global Affairs for giving me the opportunity to attend Rutgers University and for providing full financial support. I owe my special and deepest gratitude to my advisor, Dr. Yale H. Ferguson. Without his dedication, inspiration, and persistent voice, this dissertation could not have been accomplished. I would also like to thank him for his guidance throughout my Doctoral Degree education and for giving me the chance to attend Rutgers University. My special thanks also go to Drs. Richard Langhorne, Alex Hinton and Gabriela Kutting, who all aided in the development of this thesis. I would like to give special thanks to Drs. Ralph Emmers, Jan Nederveen Pieterse, Rumel Dahiya, Amitav Acharya, David Rosenberg, and Stein Tonnesson for taking the time to respond to my inquiries concerning my dissertation. Without their insight, many of the topics and issues explored in the literature review would have been either over-looked or underdeveloped. I am deeply thankful and indebted to my family. My sweet little daughter Yashaswini and my husband, Mr. Chandrashis Bhowmick, have provided constant support and encouragement to achieve my goal. I am also indebted to my parents and my brother, whose silent support has boosted my morale during the course of my work. This dissertation is dedicated to my entire family. Finally, I would like to thank, Wendy Godek and all my cohorts. Without their support, the production of this dissertation would have been a less pleasant experience. I hope this research will provide some inspiration to other scholars in their future studies. iv Dedicated to my beloved God Source: www.dollsofindia.com/bal_gopal_PZ22_l.jpg v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT III ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS V ACRONYMS VIII LIST OF TABLES XII LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS XII CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE ON THE SOUTH CHINA SEA 18 CHAPTER 3: STRATEGIC AND ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF SOUTH CHINA SEA 51 CHAPTER 4: CONFLICTS IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA 89 CHAPTER 5: INVOLVEMENT OF THE DRAGON, THE EAGLE, AND THE ELEPHANT IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA IMBROGLIO 124 CHAPTER 6: ASEAN AND THE SOUTH CHINA SEA DISPUTES 164 CHAPTER 7: CONCLUSION 181 BIBLIOGRAPHY 189 APPENDIX 1: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS 213 APPENDIX 2: EEZ Rules under Part V of UNCLOS 214 CURRICULUM VITAE 224 vi Acronyms A2/AD Anti-access/Area denial ACCP ASEAN-China Cooperation Fund ADMM ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting ADMM Plus ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting Plus ADR Alternative Dispute Resolution AEW&C Airborne Early Warning and Control AFP Armed Forces of the Philippines AMM ASEAN Ministers Meeting APEC Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation APT ASEAN Plus Three ARF ASEAN Regional Forum ASC ASEAN Security Community ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations ASEAN+1 ASEAN, China ASEAN+3 ASEAN, China, Japan, South Korea ASEAN- ISIS ASEAN Institute of Strategic and International Studies ASEAM- PMC ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference BP British Petroleum BTU British Thermal Units CAFTA China-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement CBM Confidence Building Measure CIDA Canadian International Development Agency CINCPAC Commander-in- Chief of U.S. forces in the Pacific CLCS United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf CMC Central Military Commission CNOOC China’s state-run China National Offshore Oil Company CNP China’s comprehensive national power CNPC China National Petroleum Corporation CSUA Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts CS Continental Shelf CSCAP Council for Security cooperation in the Asia Pacific CSI Container Security Initiative CS21 A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Sea Power DFA Department of Foreign Affairs vii DOC 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the SCS DOD U.S. Department of Defense DRV Democratic Republic of Vietnam EEZ Exclusive Economic Zone EOR Enhanced Oil Recovery EU European Union FPDA Five Power Defense Arrangements FTA Free Trade Area GATS General Agreement on Trade and Services GEF Global Environment Facility GIS Geographic Information System GNP Gross National Production HPA Hanoi plan of Action HSC High Seas Convention IMOs International Maritime Organization IOR Indian Ocean Region IR International Relations ISM CT-TC Inter-sessional Meeting on Counter- Terrorism and Transnational Crime ISDS Institute of Strategic and Development Studies ITLOS International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea JCG Japanese Coast Guard ICJ International Court of Justice JDZ Joint Development Zones JMSU Joint Maritime Seismic Undertaking JMZs Joint Management Zones ICAO International Civil Aviation Organization IEA International Energy Agency IGO Intergovernmental Organizations IL International Law IMB International Maritime Bureau IMO International Maritime Organization INCSEA Incident at Sea IOR Indian Ocean Region IPCC Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change ISC Information Sharing Center ISPS International Ship and Port Security Code ITLOS International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea JDZ Joint Development Zone JMSU Joint Maritime Seismic Undertaking KM Kilometers LNG Liquefied Natural Gas LOSC Law of the Sea Convention viii MMCA Military Maritime Consultative Agreement MSC Maritime Safety Committee MSR Marine Scientific Research NAM Non-aligned Movement NIEs Newly Industrialized Economies NISCS National Institute for the South China Sea Studies NM Nautical Miles NOCs National Oil Companies NPCSD North Pacific Co-operative Security Dialogue NSR Northern Sea Route OECD Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development ONGC Indian Oil and Natural Gas Corporation OVL ONGC Videsh PDR Lao People’s Democratic Republic PEMSEA Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia PLA People’s Liberation Army PLAN People’s Liberation Army Navy PNOC Philippine National Oil Company POK Pakistan occupied Kashmir PPP Public-Private Partnership PSI Proliferation Security Initiative RECAAP Regional Cooperation Agreement on Anti- Piracy in Asia RIMPAC Rim of the Pacific Exercise RMSI Regional Maritime Security Initiative ROC Republic of China (Taiwan) SAP Strategic Action Program SAR Search and Rescue SDFs Self-defense Forces SKM Square Kilometers SMA Spratly Management Authority SEANFWZ Southeast Asia Nuclear Free Weapons Zone SPR Strategic Petroleum Reserve SRV Socialist Republic of Vietnam SCS South China Sea SEACAT Southeast Asia Cooperation against Terrorism SIGINT Signals Intelligence SLOCS Sea Lanes of Communication SCS South China Sea ix TAC Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast
Recommended publications
  • Position Paper on ROC South China Sea Policy
    Position Paper on ROC South China Sea Policy Republic of China (Taiwan) March 21, 2016 1. Preface The Nansha (Spratly) Islands, Shisha (Paracel) Islands, Chungsha (Macclesfield Bank) Islands, and Tungsha (Pratas) Islands (together known as the South China Sea Islands) were first discovered, named, and used by the ancient Chinese, and incorporated into national territory and administered by imperial Chinese governments. Whether from the perspective of history, geography, or international law, the South China Sea Islands and their surrounding waters are an inherent part of ROC territory and waters. The ROC enjoys all rights over them in accordance with international law. This is indisputable. Any claim to sovereignty over, or occupation of, these areas by other countries is illegal, irrespective of the reasons put forward or methods used, and the ROC government recognizes no such claim or occupation. With respect to international disputes regarding the South China Sea, the ROC has consistently maintained the principles of safeguarding sovereignty, shelving disputes, pursuing peace and reciprocity, and promoting joint development, and in accordance with the United Nations Charter and international law, called for consultations with other countries, participation in related dialogue and cooperative mechanisms, and peaceful 1 resolution of disputes, to jointly ensure regional peace. 2. Grounds for the ROC position History The early Chinese have been active in the South China Sea since ancient times. Historical texts and local gazetteers contain numerous references to the geographical position, geology, natural resources of the South China Sea waters and landforms, as well as the activities of the ancient Chinese in the region. The South China Sea Islands were discovered, named, used over the long term, and incorporated into national territory by the early Chinese, so even though most of the islands and reefs are uninhabited, they are not terra nullius.
    [Show full text]
  • South China Sea Overview
    ‹ Countries South China Sea Last Updated: February 7, 2013 (Notes) full report Overview The South China Sea is a critical world trade route and a potential source of hydrocarbons, particularly natural gas, with competing claims of ownership over the sea and its resources. Stretching from Singapore and the Strait of Malacca in the southwest to the Strait of Taiwan in the northeast, the South China Sea is one of the most important trade routes in the world. The sea is rich in resources and holds significant strategic and political importance. The area includes several hundred small islands, rocks, and reefs, with the majority located in the Paracel and Spratly Island chains. Many of these islands are partially submerged land masses unsuitable for habitation and are little more than shipping hazards. For example, the total land area of the Spratly Islands encompasses less than 3 square miles. Several of the countries bordering the sea declare ownership of the islands to claim the surrounding sea and its resources. The Gulf of Thailand borders the South China Sea, and although technically not part of it, disputes surround ownership of that Gulf and its resources as well. Asia's robust economic growth boosts demand for energy in the region. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects total liquid fuels consumption in Asian countries outside the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to rise at an annual growth rate of 2.6 percent, growing from around 20 percent of world consumption in 2008 to over 30 percent of world consumption by 2035. Similarly, non-OECD Asia natural gas consumption grows by 3.9 percent annually, from 10 percent of world gas consumption in 2008 to 19 percent by 2035.
    [Show full text]
  • A Move from the Himalayas to the High Seas?
    India-China conflict: A move from the Himalayas to the high seas? A risky naval blockade in the Indian Ocean is touted by some as a way to pressure China’s vital energy routes. By Dr David Brewster Last month’s clash between Indian and Chinese troops in Ladakh was the most significant conflict between the two countries since 1967. Despite signs of a partial tactical pullback in some places, there is considerable risk of further confrontations and even escalation along the disputed border. Some have been urging the Indian government to respond to China’s moves in the Himalayas by placing pressure on Beijing in the Indian Ocean. What are India’s options and how likely is it to take such actions? The Indian Ocean holds a particular place in the India-China strategic relationship. In almost every dimension, whether it be economic, nuclear or the conventional strategic balance along the Line of Actual Control in the Himalayas, India is probably at a considerable strategic disadvantage to China. Only in the Indian Ocean, which includes China’s vital energy routes from the Persian Gulf and Africa, does India have the upper hand. This has important implications for the strategy dynamic. Decades ago, prominent US Sinologist John Garver argued that in the event of a conflict between the two countries, India might be tempted to escalate from the land dimension, where it may suffer reverses, to the maritime dimension, where it enjoys substantial advantages, and employ those advantages to restrict China’s vital Indian Ocean trade. In strategic jargon, the Indian Ocean represents “interior lines” for India – where the Indian Navy is close to its own bases and logistics – and “exterior lines” for China, where its navy is operating with limited logistical support, away from home.
    [Show full text]
  • A Bilateral Analysis of the South China Sea Dispute
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by DigitalCommons@Florida International University Florida International University FIU Digital Commons FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations University Graduate School 6-1-2012 A Bilateral Analysis of the South China Sea Dispute: China, the Philippines, and the Scarborough Shoal Adam Nieves Johnson Florida International University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd Recommended Citation Johnson, Adam Nieves, "A Bilateral Analysis of the South China Sea Dispute: China, the Philippines, and the Scarborough Shoal" (2012). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 661. http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/661 This work is brought to you for free and open access by the University Graduate School at FIU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of FIU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY Miami, Florida A BILATERAL ANALYSIS OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA DISPUTE: CHINA, THE PHILIPPINES, AND THE SCARBOROUGH SHOAL A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in ASIAN STUDIES by Adam Nieves Johnson 2012 To: Dean Kenneth G. Furton College of Arts and Sciences This thesis, written by Adam Nieves Johnson, and entitled A Bilateral Analysis of the South China Sea Dispute: China, the Philippines, & the Scarborough Shoal, having been approved in respect to style and intellectual content, is referred to you for judgment. We have read this thesis and recommend that it be approved.
    [Show full text]
  • Australian Update: August 2018
    Australian Update: August 2018 Dr. Robbin Laird, Research Fellow, Williams Foundation, Canberra THE AUSTRALIAN NEW SUBMARINE PROGRAM: CLEARLY A WORK IN PROGRESS 3 AUSTRALIA BROADENS ITS MILITARY RELATIONSHIPS WITH SHIPBUILDING DEALS 7 THE COMMANDER OF THE RAAF AIR WARFARE CENTRE, AIR COMMODORE “JOE” IERVASI 10 THE AUSTRALIANS SHAPE THEIR WAY AHEAD ON ASW: THE KEY ROLE OF THE P-8 13 FLEET BASE EAST: A KEY ELEMENT IN THE AUSTRALIAN NAVY’S OPERATIONAL CAPABILITIES 16 THE AEGIS GLOBAL ENTERPRISE: THE AUSTRALIAN CASE 21 APPENDIX: THE AIR WARFARE DESTROYER ALLIANCE 23 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE HOBART CLASS DESTROYERS 24 THE HOBART CLASS – DIFFERENCES FROM THE F100 CLASS 25 DR. BEN GREENE, ELECTRICAL OPTICAL SYSTEMS 26 APPENDIX 30 PITCH BLACK 2018: RAAF PERSPECTIVES 31 THE AUSTRALIAN ARMY AND INTEGRATED AIR DEFENSE 34 APPENDIX: 35 LOOKING BACK AT RIMPAC 2018: THE PERSPECTIVE OF AIR COMMODORE CRAIG HEAP 36 SHAPING ENHANCED SOVEREIGN OPTIONS: LEVERAGING THE INTEGRATED FORCE BUILDING PROCESS 40 THE DEFENSE OF AUSTRALIA: LOOKING BACK AND LEANING FORWARD 43 2 The Australian New Submarine Program: Clearly A Work in Progress 8/19/18 Canberra, Australia During my current visit to Australia, I have been able to follow up the discussions with the Chief of Navy over the past three years with regard to shipbuilding and shaping a way ahead for the Royal Australian Navy. During this visit I had a chance to visit the Osborne shipyards and get an update on Collins class and enhanced availability as well as to get a briefing and discussion with senior Australian officials involved in shaping the new build submarine program.
    [Show full text]
  • China's Historical Claim in the South China Sea
    University of Calgary PRISM: University of Calgary's Digital Repository Graduate Studies The Vault: Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2013-09-13 "Since Time Immemorial": China's Historical Claim in the South China Sea Chung, Chris Pak Cheong Chung, C. P. (2013). "Since Time Immemorial": China's Historical Claim in the South China Sea (Unpublished master's thesis). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB. doi:10.11575/PRISM/27791 http://hdl.handle.net/11023/955 master thesis University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission. Downloaded from PRISM: https://prism.ucalgary.ca UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY “Since Time Immemorial”: China’s Historical Claim in the South China Sea by Chris P.C. Chung A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY CALGARY, ALBERTA SEPTEMBER, 2013 © Chris Chung 2013 Abstract Four archipelagos in the South China Sea are territorially disputed: the Paracel, Spratly, and Pratas Islands, and Macclesfield Bank. The People’s Republic of China and Republic of China’s claims are embodied by a nine-dashed U-shaped boundary line originally drawn in an official Chinese map in 1948, which encompasses most of the South China Sea. Neither side has clarified what the line represents. Using ancient Chinese maps and texts, archival documents, relevant treaties, declarations, and laws, this thesis will conclude that it is best characterized as an islands attribution line, which centres the claim simply on the islands and features themselves.
    [Show full text]
  • China Seeks to Dominate Off-Shore Energy Resources in the South and East China Seas by John R
    International Association for Energy Economics | 17 China Seeks to Dominate Off-Shore Energy Resources in the South and East China Seas By John R. Weinberger* On May 2, 2014, without announcement, Chinese vessels floated China National Offshore Oil Corp.’s (CNOOC) state-of-the-art deep water drilling rig into Vietnamese waters and began sea floor drilling op- erations for natural gas. The location of the rig - within Vietnam’s 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and only 17 nautical miles from Triton Island in the South China Sea, one of the Paracel Islands that is claimed by Vietnam, China, and Taiwan – was unmistakably set up in maritime territory claimed by Vietnam. The Vietnamese Foreign Minister called the move a violation of Vietnamese sov- ereignty. The U.S. State Department described the move as “provocative.” The deployment of China’s first and only home-grown deep-water semisubmersible drilling rig in such a brazen manner illustrates the value that China places on Asia-Pacific off-shore oil and gas resources and the lengths that China will go to assert control over seabed hydrocarbons beneath the far western Pacific Ocean. China’s Quest for Asia-Pacific Energy Resources Driven by Overall Growth in Energy Demand Fossil fuels are the lifeblood of China’s economy. Affordable, reliable sources of crude oil enable China’s transportation sector to grow and thrive. Natural gas is becoming a cornerstone to China’s elec- tric power capacity and an alternative transportation fuel. China’s remarkable economic growth over the past three decades is matched by an insatiable thirst for oil.
    [Show full text]
  • China's Claim of Sovereignty Over Spratly and Paracel Islands: a Historical and Legal Perspective Teh-Kuang Chang
    Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law Volume 23 | Issue 3 1991 China's Claim of Sovereignty over Spratly and Paracel Islands: A Historical and Legal Perspective Teh-Kuang Chang Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/jil Part of the International Law Commons Recommended Citation Teh-Kuang Chang, China's Claim of Sovereignty over Spratly and Paracel Islands: A Historical and Legal Perspective, 23 Case W. Res. J. Int'l L. 399 (1991) Available at: https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/jil/vol23/iss3/1 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Journals at Case Western Reserve University School of Law Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law by an authorized administrator of Case Western Reserve University School of Law Scholarly Commons. China's Claim of Sovereignty Over Spratly and Paracel Islands: A Historical and Legal Perspective Teh-Kuang Chang* I. INTRODUCTION (Dn August 13, 1990, in Singapore, Premier Li Peng of the People's Re- public of China (the PRC) reaffirmed China's sovereignty over Xisha and Nansha Islands.1 On December. 29, 1990, in Taipei, Foreign Minis- ter Frederick Chien stated that the Nansha Islands are territory of the Republic of China.2 Both statements indicated that China's claim to sov- ereignty over the Paracel and Spratly Islands was contrary to the claims of other nations. Since China's claim of Spratly and Paracel Islands is challenged by its neighboring countries, the ownership of the islands in the South China Sea is an unsettled international dispute.3 An understanding of both * Professor of Political Science, Ball State University.
    [Show full text]
  • Freedom of Navigation in the South China Sea a Practical Guide
    Freedom of Navigation in the South China Sea A Practical Guide Eleanor Freund SPECIAL REPORT JUNE 2017 Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs Harvard Kennedy School 79 JFK Street Cambridge, MA 02138 www.belfercenter.org Publication design and illustrations by Andrew Facini Cover photo: United States. Central Intelligence Agency. The Spratly Islands and Paracel Islands. Scale 1:2,000,000. Washington, D.C.: Central Intelligence Agency, 1992. Copyright 2017, President and Fellows of Harvard College Printed in the United States of America Freedom of Navigation in the South China Sea A Practical Guide Eleanor Freund SPECIAL REPORT JUNE 2017 About the Author Eleanor Freund is a Research Assistant at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. She studies U.S. foreign policy and security issues, with a focus on U.S.-China relations. Email: [email protected] Acknowledgments The author is grateful to James Kraska, Howard S. Levie Professor of International Law at the U.S. Naval War College, and Julian Ku, Maurice A. Deane Distinguished Professor of Constitutional Law at Hofstra University School of Law, for their thoughtful comments and feedback on the text of this document. All errors or omissions are the author’s own. ii Freedom of Navigation in the South China Sea: A Practical Guide Table of Contents What is the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)? ..............1 What are maritime features? ......................................................................1 Why is the distinction between different maritime features important? .................................................................................... 4 What are the territorial sea, the contiguous zone, and the exclusive economic zone? ........................................................... 5 What maritime zones do islands, rocks, and low-tide elevations generate? ....................................................................7 What maritime zones do artificially constructed islands generate? ....
    [Show full text]
  • Tracking Chinese Perceptions of Vietnam's Relations with China And
    asia policy, volume 16, number 2 (april 2021), 103–27 • http://asiapolicy.nbr.org • Tracking Chinese Perceptions of Vietnam’s Relations with China and the United States Derek Grossman and Paul S. Orner derek grossman is a Senior Defense Analyst at the RAND Corporation (United States), an Adjunct Professor at the University of Southern California, and a regular contributor to the Diplomat. He formerly served as the daily intelligence briefer to the assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific security affairs at the U.S. Department of Defense. He can be reached at <[email protected]>. paul s. orner is a PhD candidate in the Political Science and International Relations Department at the University of Southern California (United States) and an Adjunct Researcher at the RAND Corporation. He is also currently a predoctoral fellow at the George Washington University’s Institute for Security and Conflict Studies. He can be reached at <[email protected]>. keywords: vietnam; china; u.s.-china competition; south china sea © The National Bureau of Asian Research, Seattle, Washington asia policy executive summary This article sheds light on trends in Chinese assessments of U.S.-Vietnam relations and security cooperation to discern patterns in the security dynamics between the three countries. main argument Since the turn of the century, Chinese foreign policy experts have consistently assessed that while there will always be certain tensions in the China-Vietnam relationship, economic and geopolitical realities prevent Vietnam from aligning against China or collaborating with the U.S. to any significant extent. Although some Chinese experts began to question the durability of China-Vietnam ties following Beijing’s expansive nine-dash-line claim over much of the South China Sea in 2009 and a series of standoffs over disputed waters starting in May 2014, the general Chinese assessment that Vietnam will not work too closely with the U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Dual and Multiple Naming in the South China Sea: the Cases of the Pratas Islands and Scarborough Shoal
    Dual and multiple naming in the South China Sea: The cases of the Pratas Islands and Scarborough Shoal Peter KANG* This paper mainly discusses the naming of islets, rocks and shoals in the South China Sea by looking at the cases of the Pratas Islands and Scarborough Shoal. The naming of places in the South China Sea has been a symbolic extension of territorial claims of the neighboring countries that have displayed great interest in the said areas. The Pratas Islands are currently under the jurisdiction of Taiwan but are claimed both by China and Taiwan. China and Taiwan name the Pratas Island as Dongsha Qundao and Tungsha Islands respectively. Both nomenclatures share the same literal meaning, “eastern sandy archipelago”, but in different Romanized spellings. Scarborough Shoal is presently under Chinese military occupation, but is claimed by China, the Philippines, and Taiwan, which named it Huangyan Dao (meaning “Yellow Rock Island”), Kulumpol ng Panatag (meaning “Panatag Shoal”), and Minzhu Reef (meaning “Democracy Reef”) respectively. The paper explores both the history of naming and the usage of nomenclatures of the aforementioned cases in the international arena. INTRODUCTION Both the Pratas Islands and Scarborough Shoal are two named geographical features in the South China Sea. The Pratas Islands are located about 310 km southeast of Hong Kong with coordinates of 20°43’ N 116°42’ E. The Islands consist of three atolls, namely, Pratas Atoll, North Vereker Atoll and South Vereker Atoll. Pratas Atoll is circular in shape, and Pratas Island is in the west of the atoll. The North Vereker Bank and South Vereker Bank are adjacent to each other and are about 74 km to the northwest of the Pratas Atoll.
    [Show full text]
  • The 1974 Paracels Sea Battle: a Campaign Appraisal
    Naval War College Review Volume 69 Article 6 Number 2 Spring 2016 The 1974 aP racels Sea Battle: A aC mpaign Appraisal Toshi Yoshihara The U.S. Naval War College Follow this and additional works at: https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review Recommended Citation Yoshihara, Toshi (2016) "The 1974 aP racels Sea Battle: A aC mpaign Appraisal," Naval War College Review: Vol. 69 : No. 2 , Article 6. Available at: https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review/vol69/iss2/6 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Naval War College Review by an authorized editor of U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Yoshihara: The 1974 Paracels Sea Battle: A Campaign Appraisal THE 1974 PARACELS SEA BATTLE A Campaign Appraisal Toshi Yoshihara n 19 January 1974, the Chinese and South Vietnamese navies clashed near the disputed Paracel Islands� The short but intense battle left China in Ocontrol of seemingly unremarkable spits of land and surrounding waters in the South China Sea� The skirmish involved small, secondhand combatants armed with outdated weaponry� The fighting lasted for several hours, producing modest casualties in ships and men� The incident merited little public attention, espe- cially when compared with past titanic struggles at sea, such as those of the two world wars� Unsurprisingly, the battle remains an understudied, if not forgotten, episode in naval history�1
    [Show full text]