Forum: The U.S., China and the Geopolitics of the South China Sea

The U.S., China, and the Geopolitics of the South China Sea

The South China Sea is among the world’s epicenters of geopolitical competition. 30 percent of all global trade ($5.3 trillion) passes through the waterway each year. China and its East Asian neighbors, including Indonesia, Japan, The Philippines, and Vietnam all have territorial claims, and established maritime defenses. Meanwhile in its pivot to Asia, the United States has been conducting freedom of navigation tours of its vessels in waters claimed by China.

How can the U.S and China reduce the risk of conflict, and work on a peaceful and equitable resolution in this pivotal international waterway?

Participants:

Cortez A. Cooper III is a senior international/defense researcher at the RAND Corporation and a member of the Pardee RAND Graduate School faculty. At RAND he provides assessments of security challenges across political, military, economic, cultural, and informational arenas for a broad range of U.S. government clients. He has served in the U.S. Navy Executive Service as the senior analyst for the Joint Intelligence Center Pacific, U.S. Pacific Command. As the senior intelligence analyst and Asia regional specialist in the Pacific Theater, he advised Pacific Command leadership on trends and developments in the Command's area of responsibility. His 20 years of military service included assignments as both an Army Signal Corps Officer and a China Foreign Area Officer. In addition to numerous military decorations, the Secretary of Defense awarded Cooper with the Exceptional Civilian Service Award in 2001.

Gregory B. Poling is director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative and a fellow with the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He oversees research on U.S. foreign policy in the Asia Pacific, with a particular focus on the maritime domain and the countries of Southeast Asia. His research interests include the South China Sea disputes, democratization in Southeast Asia, and Asian multilateralism. He is the author of "The South China Sea in Focus: Clarifying the Limits of Maritime Dispute" (CSIS, July 2013) and coauthor of multiple works including "Building a More Robust U.S.-Philippines Alliance" (CSIS, August 2015), "A New Era in U.S.-Vietnam Relations: Deepening Ties Two Decades after Normalization" (CSIS, June 2014), and "A U.S.-Indonesia Partnership for 2020: Recommendations for Forging a 21st Century Relationship" (CSIS, September 2013).

Filmed at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum on February 21, 2018.

[JMM]

I have heard many lectures from various think tanks about the conflict on Youtube for my book, but I have to say that this one was the best. My thanks go to the speakers!

[marendradika]

All the Counties (especially with Navy Power ) on Earth Need to Patrol South China Sea to Show the International Law is the Future not the Bully

[cheongteo]

China prepared for war and your right, enemy will never stop until their go. They always think right, only chioce is war is your best solutions. If you backdiwn then they were go farther.

[josedelacuadra]

(Apr 13, 2018) I find the discussion of these distinguished speakers somewhat understating the significance of the geopolitical ramification(s) of the controversy. Understand that 2049 is China's goal (100th year) for reaching its old glory days while they are way too ill-equipped with the resources toward self-sufficiency. The SCS holds a wealth of those needed resources that would bring to fruition such ambition. China is already mining the resources underneath (the Philippines EEZ) but no nation is bold enough to challenge this Asian hegemon. China blatantly violates international law (UNCLOS) and strong arm its neighbors. The 9 or 11 dash line claim of territorial rights is saying to its neighbors they are nothing because they were ruled by the empire empire 5, 000 yrs ago and the and area(s) in question belongs to the old empire.

[stephenuy]

china upon signing and ratifying the 1982 unclos reiterates in its declarations the ownership of land features such as islands, rocks and reefs in the south china sea including the paracels, the spratlys and the scarborough shoal and have clearly expressed in its reservations that china will NOT be involved in any settlement or arbitration procedures of any overlapping issues of eezs. the two gentlemen in trashing china, conveniently and completely missed out on how unclos judges manupulated original unclos rules in turning the chinese owned itu aba island into a rock to the effect that china cannot exempt itself from arbitration. furthermore, unclos has no right, no power, no mandate to declare chinese territorial claims no matter how expansive or ridiculous they may be to be invalid. as far as china is concerned, the unclos judges and the two gentlemen can have the nine dash lines and eat them. china only wants the land features that it declared as its own and the eezs that come with them. china did not break any unclos rules. unclos broke its own rules.

[stephenuy]

unclos' new rule states that an island should be self sustaining to support human life without getting outside supplies (specially water), or using desalinating plants. in effect, unclos just downgraded singapore the tiny island nation into a rock since singapore is getting its water from malaysia and using desalinating plants. any appeal from singapore is void since the PCA decision is final. singapore is now legally a rocky nation and has only a 12 mile eez. watch out. a few hundred fake islands more to be classified as rocks are