The Future of the South China Sea

For over seventy years, China has steadfastly asserted its sovereignty over the South China Sea, transforming these waters into a flashpoint of international tension and a focal point of global diplomacy. The Future of the South China Sea intricately explores Chinas motivations, unveiling its ambitions in the South China Sea that are anything but static, despite the prevailing narrative that frames Chinas objectives as monolithic and unchanging. Chinas underlying interests in the region have fluctuated in both content and urgency, driven by economic imperatives, historical legacies, domestic pressures, and broader international security concerns. What unfolds in this study is a nuanced portrait of a nation whose objectives are fluid and the growing disconnection between its official assertions and the policies it enacts. Jiye Kim proposes innovative strategies for future negotiations, which could redefine diplomatic engagement in this critical region. By incorporating negotiation records, such as the 1958 Declaration on Chinas Territorial Sea, the 1992 ASEAN Declaration, and the 2005 Tripartite Agreement, Kim traces how China reshapes its interests into negotiation agendas, providing critical insights into the nations diplomacy and making a significant contribution to existing literature on the South China Sea, which has been largely dominated by analyses of great power rivalry. The book sheds light on Chinas underlying interests as living and adaptable entities, providing scholars with a detailed, evidence-based understanding of the complexities that define one of the worlds most contested maritime regions.