TY - BOOK
T1 - A Balanced Threat Assessment of China’s South China Sea Policy
AU - Herscovitch, Benjamin
PY - 2017
Y1 - 2017
N2 - U.S. lawmakers and analysts see China’s
efforts to control much of the South
China Sea as a serious threat, endangering
regional security, freedom of navigation,
and the liberal world order. This paper
finds that political leaders and experts exaggerate the dangers
of China’s South China Sea policy.
As the world’s largest trading nation, China has a deep
vested interest in ensuring that trade routes in the South
China Sea remain open, and Beijing has no interest in
military conflict with regional powers. Although China’s
South China Sea policy is inconsistent with some of the
norms and institutions of the rules-based liberal world
order, Beijing does not seek to undermine this order as
a whole and remains supportive of key elements of the
international system.
To avoid needlessly entangling itself in the South China
Sea dispute, the United States should not support the territorial
claims of any state and should make clear that the
U.S.-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty does not apply to
disputed territory and waters claimed by the Philippines.
In addition, the United States should encourage claimant
states to agree on de facto jurisdiction over disputed areas
and to jointly exploit resources while more permanent
resolutions are negotiated. Finally, Washington should
understand that ratifying the United Nations Convention
on the Law of the Sea will have little, if any, effect on the
South China Sea dispute.
AB - U.S. lawmakers and analysts see China’s
efforts to control much of the South
China Sea as a serious threat, endangering
regional security, freedom of navigation,
and the liberal world order. This paper
finds that political leaders and experts exaggerate the dangers
of China’s South China Sea policy.
As the world’s largest trading nation, China has a deep
vested interest in ensuring that trade routes in the South
China Sea remain open, and Beijing has no interest in
military conflict with regional powers. Although China’s
South China Sea policy is inconsistent with some of the
norms and institutions of the rules-based liberal world
order, Beijing does not seek to undermine this order as
a whole and remains supportive of key elements of the
international system.
To avoid needlessly entangling itself in the South China
Sea dispute, the United States should not support the territorial
claims of any state and should make clear that the
U.S.-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty does not apply to
disputed territory and waters claimed by the Philippines.
In addition, the United States should encourage claimant
states to agree on de facto jurisdiction over disputed areas
and to jointly exploit resources while more permanent
resolutions are negotiated. Finally, Washington should
understand that ratifying the United Nations Convention
on the Law of the Sea will have little, if any, effect on the
South China Sea dispute.
M3 - Commissioned report
BT - A Balanced Threat Assessment of China’s South China Sea Policy
ER -