Conscious that trust deficit is a principal concern in East Asia, the book attempts to suggest ways to enhance confidence in certain key areas such as disputes in East and South China Seas, maritime CBMs, impact of economic interdependence on security, and issues concerning identity and values in Asian thinking.
This book examines the emerging maritime security scene in Southeast Asia. It considers highly topical implications for the region of possible strategic competition between China and India - the rising naval powers of Asia - with a possible naval "arms race" emerging between these countries both with naval force development and operations. As part of its "Look East" policy, India has deployed naval units to the Pacific Ocean for port visits and exercises both with East Asian navies and the US Navy, but India is also concerned about the possibility of the Chinese Navy operating in the Indian Ocean. Even as the US-India defence relationship continues to deepen, the US and China are struggling to build a closer links. China’s and India’s strategic interests overlap in this region both in maritime strategic competition or conflict – which might be played out in the Bay of Bengal, the Malacca and Singapore Straits and the South China Sea. The sea lines of communication (SLOCs) through Southeast Asian waters constitute vital "choke points" between the Indian and Pacific Oceans carrying essential energy supplies for China and other Northeast Asian countries. Any strategic competition between China and India has implications for other major maritime players in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, especially Australia, the Republic of Korea and Japan, as well as the US. This book identifies possible cooperative and confidence-building measures that may contribute to enhanced relations between these two major powers and dampen down the risks associated with their strategic competition.
Many of the maritime disputes today represent a competing interest of two groups: coastal states and user states. This edited volume evaluates the role of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in managing maritime order in East Asia after its ratification in 1994, while reflecting upon various interpretations of UNCLOS. Providing an overview of the key maritime disputes occurring in the Asia Pacific, it examines case studies from a selection of representative countries to consider how these conflicts of interest reflect their respective national interests, and the wider issues that these interpretations have created in relation to navigation regimes, maritime entitlement, boundary delimitation and dispute settlement.
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (LOSC) represents one of the most successful examples of multilateral treaty making in the modern era. The convention has 168 States parties, and most non-signatory States recognise nearly all of its key provisions as binding under customary international law, including the United States. Nevertheless, there remain significant differences in interpretation and implementation of the LOSC among States as well as calls, on occasion, for its amendment. This book analyses the impact, influence and ongoing role of the LOSC in South East Asia, one of the most dynamic maritime regions in the world. Maritime security is a critical issue within the region, and it is separately assessed in light of the LOSC and contemporary challenges such as environmental security and climate change. Likewise, navigational rights and freedoms are a major issue and they are evaluated through the LOSC and regional state practice, especially in the South China Sea. Special attention is given to the role of navies and non-state actors. Furthermore, the book looks at regional resource disputes which have a long history. These disputes have the potential to increase into the future as economic interests and concerns over food security intensify. Effective LNG and fisheries resource management is therefore a critical issue for the region and unless resolved could become the focal point for significant maritime disputes. These dynamics within the region all require extensive exploration in order to gauge the effectiveness of LOSC dispute resolution mechanisms. The Law of the Sea in South East Asia fills a gap in the existing literature by bringing together a holistic picture of contemporary maritime issues affecting the region in a single volume. It will appeal to academic libraries, government officials, think-tanks and scholars from law, strategic studies and international relations disciplines.
“This volume brings together leading experts to examine the potentials for maritime conflict and cooperation in a region where geopolitical rivalries are intensifying. I highly recommend it to scholars, practitioners, and students alike.” —Miranda A. Schreurs, Professor, Technical University of Munich. “With an original approach to maritime conflicts that focuses on the effects of technological and environmental change, this is a must-read for anyone interested in East Asian peace and security!” — Stein Tønnesson, Research Professor Emeritus, Peace Research Institute Oslo “A crucial read for anyone interested in understanding the complexities of maritime conflicts in East Asia and their broader global implications.” —Yurika Ishii, Associate Professor, National Defense Academy of Japan “The volume offers multi-disciplinary perspectives that reach across disciplinary boundaries and connect perspectivesfrom natural sciences and engineering to social sciences and policy.” —Clive Schofield, Professor, University of Wollongong, Australia As technological development and diffusion have greatly increased the resources states can recover from maritime space, the stakes of these conflicts have grown. Nowhere is this clearer than in East Asia. This book examines how technological change and diffusion impact East Asian maritime conflicts, and approaches for conflict management and resolution. Paul Midford is Professor of Political Science, Meiji Gakuin University, Japan. Jennifer L. Bailey is Professor of Political Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway. Katja Levy is Associate Professor of Political Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway. Espen Moe is Professor of Political Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway.
This book confronts both the maritime security challenges and responses. In Southeast Asia, maritime security has, over the last twenty years, taken on a much greater importance, due to the Law of the Sea convention, which has resulted in a 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs). As well as traditional security threats to maritime security, there has also emerged a range of non-traditional threat, such as those emanating from piracy and international terrorism that spill over into the maritime domain. Events such as September 11th, and the designation of Southeast Asia as a 'second front' in the war against terrorism, have resulted in the growing realization that multilateral security cooperation is required in order to better manage emerging security threats. Expert contributors to this book identify the nature of the maritime security problem and critically evaluate the various responses with an eye to improving the management of prevailing and emerging security threats. This book will be an invaluable resource to academics, policy analysts, legislators and students interested in security issues in Southeast Asia.
The volume surveys and discusses the range of current issues arising in the law of the sea from an Asian-Pacific perspective. There have been major developments in the law of the sea in the region: many current controversies (e.g. over archipelagic sealanes passage, drift-net fishing and environmental management) have their origins, or important exemplars, in the region. The contributors include international lawyers, political scientists and government officials with expertise in the region. Particular aspects of the book which are of interest are: (a) its discussion of the perspectives of particular countries in the region (East Asia, Australia, the Pacific Islands); (b) its focus on issues of the marine environment and fisheries, including drift-net fishing; (c) discussion of specific developments which are of general interest (the Torres Strait Treaty and its implementation, maritime-confidence-building measures, dispute resolution); and (d) an overview of issues relating to high seas freedoms, including in particular transit through straits and archipelagoes. There is a concluding essay by the editors summarizing the various trends.
The need for freedoms of navigation in regional waters is frequently mentioned in statements from regional forums, but a common understanding of what constitutes a particular freedom of navigation or the relevant law is lacking. This book discusses how law, politics and strategy intersect to provide different perspectives of freedoms on navigation in the Asia-Pacific region. These freedoms are very important in this distinctively maritime region, but problems arise over interpreting the navigational regimes under the law of the sea, especially with regard to the rights of foreign warships to transit another country’s territorial sea without prior notification or authorisation of the coastal state, and with determining the availability of high seas freedoms of navigation and overflight in an exclusive economic zone. The book explores these issues, referring in particular to the position of the main protagonists on these issues in Asian waters – the United States and China – with their strongly opposing views. The book concludes with a discussion of the prospects for either resolving these different perspectives or for developing confidence-building measures that would reduce the risks of maritime incidents. Providing a comprehensive yet concise overview of the various different factors affecting freedom of navigation, this book will be a valuable resource for those working or studying in the fields of international relations, maritime security and the law of the sea.
This definitive volume assembles more than twenty leading Indo-Pacific maritime scholars and emerging experts to deliver fresh perspectives on maritime cooperation and security. Topics include naval activities, law of the sea, environmental protection, international cooperation, and sub-regional maritime agendas.
The relationship between Taiwan and the People's Republic of China is regarded as a very serious potential source of conflict in East Asia, especially now that the questions of Hong Kong and Macau have been settled, and increased democratisation in Taiwan is seen as a threat by mainland China. This book, which brings together leading international scholars of maritime security and also strategic thinkers from within Taiwan itself, examines a wide range of questions concerning Taiwan's perception of the naval threat from mainland China, and how Taiwan's navy and naval strategic thinking is responding, including discussions of the strength of Taiwan's naval forces, mainland China's claims and ambitions in the South China Sea, and the controversial question of Theatre Missile Defence.