CIAO DATE: 08/2013
July 2013
United States Institute of Peace
Disputes over territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea are gaining new momentum as tensions, rhetoric and conflicts increase over disputed land features in the region. China, the leading regional claimant, appears intent on securing vast swaths of ocean for its own use and control. China’s subtle and imaginative tactics are successfully compelling countries in the South China Sea to back away from disputing their aggressive actions. U.S. Mutual Defense Treaties (MDT) in the Asia-Pacific offer no assurances that the U.S. will become involved in limited disputes over territory to which it stakes no claim. Events on the Korean Peninsula in 2010, such as the CHEONAN incident, provide a practical example of how post-World War II conceived defense treaties function in the 21st century.
Resource link: China's Subtle Strategy in the South China Sea [PDF]