The changing power distribution in the South China Sea: Implications for conflict management and avoidance

Abstract

This article focuses on the changing distribution of power in the South China Sea and assesses the implications this has for conflict management and avoidance. Power is discussed here both in terms of naval military resources and with reference to behaviour and influence. The article argues that there is a growing asymmetry of naval power in the South China Sea to the advantage of China. Southeast Asian claimants are concerned about the rapidly changing power distribution and fear that overwhelming naval capabilities could one day be used by the PRC (People’s Republic of China) to resolve the sovereignty question militarily. The article therefore examines how the Southeast Asian nations have sought, with some success, to manage the unequal power distribution in the South China Sea through the activities of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its model of conflict management and avoidance.

• ASEAN
• China
• South China Sea