Nowadays, the conflict of territory solving in the world causes many complicated problems among countries, as well as tensions in foreign policies. One of these conflicts is the dispute in South China Sea between China and six neighbor ASEAN countries. The issue turns to be more serious as it attracts a lot of concerns from international community. We are trying to find a clear way of understanding the South China Sea conflict, specifically about the effort of China and Vietnam to gain the control over the two groups of islands: Paracel and Spratly. In reality, the dispute is still up for debates and it still needs more and more talks and balancing policies from all sides.
In the Southeast Asian region lays a body of water and islands which have been disputed about for the possession of them. This area by international term is known as the “South China Sea.” (Keep in mind that they do not have any correlations with China but it is rather just an international name.) This body of water runs along territories belonging to China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Philippines, and many other countries. Within this body of water, there are well over 200 islands which are un-inhabited by people and contain useful resources. Considering that the sea does not surround just one country which can claim authority over it, it is difficult to determine who has the right to these islands. There are no laws on who these islands belong to. This dispute brings into many questions about sovereignty, law of the sea, and resource ownership rights on an international level if more than one country surrounds the sea. This is also representative of the economic relations among countries in the larger Asia-Pacific region, especially in the South China Sea area. Its dynamic and cooperative approach to economic matters has attracted more partnerships with various countries and organizations across the globe. The area is potentially rich in oil and natural gas deposits. The South China Sea territorial dispute has become one of the most problematic issues in recent times. Current trends as well as complications resulting from China’s rise and its conflict with anxious neighbors have seemingly put any solution out of reach in the near future. However, there are still steps that rival claimants can take in order minimize the chance of major conflict.
There are several factors which affect the final and ultimate solution of the dispute. China rejects any concession on the territory issue based on the consideration of domestic politics. Similar considerations are made in other claimant countries. In recent years, sovereignty issue has become so sensitive that claimants have purposely avoided touching upon it in one track official discussions and negotiations. Another factor is the difference in the expectation of scale of involvement in discussions and negotiations. China rejects multilateral negotiation and strongly objects internationalizing the dispute, while other claimants prefer the opposite, hoping to balance China’s superiority in the region.
The dispute on South China Sea can be solved with measures which have been used in successful settlement of other disputes. For example, a legal solution will be quick and lasting. By adopting a legal solution, all claimants will agree to submit the dispute for arbitration to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) who will judge the dispute according to the international laws applicable. By adopting a political solution, all parties will discuss the dispute in formal occasions, either at bilateral or multilateral levels. Other measures such as Confidence Building Measures (CBM) can also be applied to avoid further conflict and promote understanding among claimants. By holding informal meetings and carrying out cooperative projects, claimants can accumulate confidence and understanding.
In the case of the South China Sea dispute, since most of the claimants are reluctant to resolve the sovereignty issue through any of the approaches, a permanent peace is unlikely to achieve for the time being. However, temporary peace is possible. Peace can be obtained when claimants’ interests are attended to. Comparing to the interest of sovereignty, the other two interests are comparatively easier to accomplish, namely security of sea lanes and exploration of natural resources. First, stability and security of the South China Sea are necessary for the economic development of all claimants. Second, previous efforts of all claimants have laid foundation to further carry on negotiations cooperation on issues except territorial claims. In this regard, China’s proposal of setting aside dispute will be a wise choice for all claimants.
In conclusion, Vietnam encourage the sides to maintain dialogue with each other, but we’re not going to weigh in on speculation about their location and what it means.
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