Military Build-up in Southeast Asia and the South China Sea: How Relevant Are the Disputes with China?

Abstract

The South China Sea (SCS) is one of the regions with the most dynamic and intense military activity in the world. This is largely due to commercial and political interests linked to the region, which is crucial for global maritime trade and rich in natural resources. China is the most interested party in the SCS, claiming 90% of its entire area, a portion referred to by Beijing as the “nine-dash line.” The present article seeks to analyse both quantitatively and qualitatively the influence of China on the military spending of four Southeast (SE) Asian countries that are also interested in the SCS: Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia. For quantitative analysis, we used the data for military expenditure, armaments acquisition, the frequency and type of incidents involving national navies and/or civilians. For qualitative analysis, we retrieved information from hemerographic sources and official documents from the United States, China, SE Asian countries, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and the World Bank (WB).

Conflicts and Challenges of Sustainable Fisheries Governance Cooperation under the Securitization of the Maritime Commons

“…The latter will likely further promote the securitization of the maritime commons. A typical case is from the South China Sea, where fisheries are linked to national sovereignty and territorial integrity, which leads to their securitization [50], resulting in coastal states tending to deploy more naval and coast guard assets [51] and risking the use of force more frequently [52]. The securitization of fisheries in the South China Sea, therefore, becomes a motivation to securitize this water [50,53].…”