Table Of ContentTerritorial Disputes in the
South China Sea
Jing Huang
Andrew Billo
Navigating Rough Waters
Territorial Disputes in the South China Sea
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Territorial Disputes in the
South China Sea
Navigating Rough Waters
Edited by
Jing Huang
Lee Foundation Professor on US-China Relations and
Director, Centre on Asia and Globalisation, Lee Kuan Yew School of
Public Policy, National University of Singapore
Andrew Billo
Associate Fellow, Asia Society
Selection and Editorial Matter © Jing Huang and Andrew Billo 2015
All Remaining Chapters © Their Remaining Contributors 2015
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this
publication may be made without written permission.
No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted
save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence
permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency,
Saffron House, 6–10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS.
Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication
may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
The authors have asserted their rights to be identified as the authors of this
work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
First published 2015 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN
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Contents
Acknowledgements vii
Centre on Asia and Globalisation, Lee Kuan Yew School
of Public Policy, National Univeristy of Singapore ix
Notes on Contributors x
Introduction: Unknotting Tangled Lines in the
South China Sea Dispute 1
Jing Huang and Sharinee Jagtiani
Part I Origins
1 Origins of the South China Sea Dispute 15
Nguyen Thi Lan Anh
Part II Legal Dimensions
2 “Setting Aside Disputes and Pursuing Joint Development” at
Crossroads in South China Sea 39
Zhang Xinjun
3 The Philippines v. China Case and the South China
Sea Disputes 54
Robert C. Beckman
Part III The Role of ASEAN:
Challenges and Choices
4 ASEAN’s Position on the South China Sea and
Implications for Regional Peace and Security 69
Yee Kuang Heng
5 A Critical Assessment of ASEAN’s Diplomacy Regarding
the South China Sea 82
Walter Lohman
v
vi Contents
Part IV Regional Perspectives
6 Philippines’ Approaches to the South China Sea Disputes:
International Arbitration and the Challenges of
a Rule-Based Regime 99
Angelo A. Jimenez
7 Taiwan in the South China Sea Disputes: Policies and
Prospects 128
Hui-Yi Katherine Tseng
Part V Solutions and Future Prospects
8 The United States, China, and Cooperation in the South
China Sea 149
Patrick M. Cronin
9 The South China Sea Disputes: Whither a Solution? 164
Yang Fang
Conclusion: Harmony from Disunity: Core Issues and
Opportunities in the South China Sea 189
Andrew Billo
Index 205
Acknowledgements
This publication is a joint effort of all the contributing authors, whose
research expertise has made this volume rich with perspective and
analysis. This volume would not have been possible without funding
from the Centre on Asia and Globalisation (CAG), Lee Kuan Yew
School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore. The chap-
ters in this volume are a product of a conference co-hosted by CAG
and Asia Society that was held at the latter’s headquarters in New York,
in March 2013. Apart from the contributing authors, the conference
welcomed Ambassador Christopher Hill, Dean of the Josef Korbel School
of International Studies, University of Denver; Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh
Ha, Director General of Department of International Law and Treaties,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam; Ambassador Stapleton Roy,
Director of Kissinger Institute on China and the Unites States, Woodrow
Wilson International Center for Scholars; Jerome A. Cohen Professor of
law, New York University School of Law; General Zhu Chenghu, Dean
of the Defense Affairs Institute, China’s National Defense University
of the People’s Liberation Army; Bernard Oxman, Richard A. Hausler
Professor of Law, University of Miami; Duncan McCargo, Professor of
Southeast Asian Politics, University of Leeds; Professor David Denoon,
Professor of Politics & Economics, Director, New York University Center
on US-China Relations, and Mr. Henry S. Bensurto, Jr. Secretary General,
Commission on Maritime and Ocean Affairs Secretariat, Department of
Foreign Affairs, Philippines. These experts were a key part of this confer-
ence as speakers, session moderators, and discussants. Their invaluable
comments were used by contributors when revising their papers for
publication.
In addition, a number of staff from CAG and Asia Society deserve
acknowledgement for their valuable assistance in both the prepara-
tion of this volume’s contributions for publication and for helping to
run the research project that the volume stems from. The team at the
Centre on Asia and Globalisation – Jasmin Kaur, manager at CAG, and
Research Associates Yang Fang and Chen Huaiyan–played an essential
role in ensuring that the conference held in March 2013 was a great
success. The team at Asia Society included Tom Nagorski, Asia Society’s
executive vice president, and Michael Roberts, former executive director
vii
viii Acknowledgements
of Asia Society’s New York Public Programmes Division, who ardently
supported providing a platform for discussion of South China Sea terri-
torial disputes. In addition, Diana Choi, former Asia Society Programme
Officer, spent many hours supporting the project’s development,
including significant liaison with the conference attendees and handling
numerous other logistical arrangements. Yoshie Ito, Asia Society’s
assistant director for Business Programmes, Ann Kirkup, manager in the
New York Public Programs Department, Feng Feng, James Kochien, Bart
Orr, Jenna Pan, and Krystal Sevilla also assisted in implementing the
conference programme.
Our deep appreciation also goes to Andrew Baird at Palgrave for his
helpful and timely correspondence and coordination with us in the
process of publication. Further, we thank the copy editors who have
scrutinised the chapters for consistency.
Last but not least, Sharinee Jagtiani is indispensable for the publica-
tion of this volume. As a researcher at CAG, not only did she carry out
the painstaking task of copy-editing, but she also acted as the “gate-
keeper” for all the chapters to make sure the analysis is factually accurate
and logically sound.
Centre on Asia and Globalisation,
Lee Kuan Yew School of Public
Policy, National University of
Singapore
The Centre on Asia and Globalisation (CAG) at the Lee Kuan Yew School
of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, is a leading research
institute focused on producing quality academic research relevant to
public policy. Its motto “Objective Research with Impact” reflects the
centre’s commitment to ensuring that its analysis informs policy practi-
tioners, academics, and the general public of the trends of political and
economic development in Asia and its implications to global peace and
stability. This takes place through a combination of rigorous academic
inquiry, expert collaboration, high-level dialogue, public outreach, stra-
tegic networks, and capacity building and training. The institute, staffed
by an international team of researchers, is uniquely placed to bridge Asia
and the world on issues of global significance. Within this remit, the
centre focuses on four main areas:
● Great Power Relations in the Asia-Pacific
● Developing Asia Pacific’s Last Frontier
● Public Goods Issues
● Major Issues in maintaining Regional Peace and Development
In recognition of the complex inter-relationship between levels of
decision-making, CAG investigates the above fields at global, regional,
national, and sub-national levels. It welcomes exchange with other
researchers, governments, business, civil society, and other stakeholders.
ix
