South China Sea : time for US-ASEAN maritime cooperation
Richard Javad Heydarian2015
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Abstract
RSIS Commentary is a platform to provide timely and, where appropriate, policy-relevant commentary and analysis of topical issues and contemporary developments. The views of the authors are their own and do not represent the official position of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, NTU. These commentaries may be reproduced electronically or in print with prior permission from RSIS and due recognition to the author(s) and RSIS. Please email: [email protected] for feedback to the Editor RSIS Commentaries, Mr Yang Razali Kassim.
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The disputes occur after the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea decides the rights and responsibilities of nations to undersea resources in adjacent waters; it pushes some nations throughout the world to expand their control over the seas or even to claim. In the South China Sea, the Paracel Islands and the Spratly Islands are in dispute that involves China, Taiwan, and several ASEAN member countries such as Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. South China Sea is one of the most important waterways in the world with abundant oil, natural gas reserves, fisheries and marine resources, so it has strategic value whether it facilitates economic or security activities throughout Asia. However, the disputes have threatened other country's citizen activities near the disputed territory. This paper aims at analyzing how Indonesia through ASEAN responds to the South China Sea as the territorial dispute. Since 1992, ASEAN Declaration on the South China Sea called on all nations...
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ASEAN and the South China Sea disputes: the search for peace and stability through security cooperation.
Asian Review 26, 2013., 2013
The South China Sea has sea lanes of global significance, rich fishing grounds, and potentially vast oil and gas reserves. ASEAN members are in conflict over China’s claims in the area, but are working towards a binding code of conduct. Unity within ASEAN and continued diplomatic efforts will be essential to preventing disputes leading to armed conflict. By solving its internal inconsistencies and achieving stability, ASEAN will be able to promote its centrality in the region’s security architecture as well as its importance in the global arena.
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