The US-China Martime Security Contradictions in the Asia-Pacific Region after the Cold War: Implications for ASEAN

Southeast Asia: Actual Problems of Development. 2024. Vol. 2. No. 2(63). P. 73–81.

Gorbatko A.

The paper assesses the evolution of ASEAN’s (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) instruments to deal with Asia-Pacific maritime security challenges, exemplified by the South China Sea issue, in the context of intensifying contradictions between the United States and the People’s Republic of China after the Cold War. The author traces the dynamics of the U.S. – China relations through the prism of Asia-Pacific maritime security challenges and reveals ASEAN’s response from an institutional and substantial perspective. The author argues that a gap between ASEAN strategic vision (an emphasis on rising global influence) and its policy instruments (major shortcomings remain unresolved) is increasingly evident. This is exemplified by how the Code on Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea is elaborated on. As a result, the Asia-Pacific maritime security issues are likely to plunge into stagnation. Although some negative impacts on regional economy and security can be partially mitigated, the region will face significant second-order impacts under any scenario. The paper contributes to the existing academic literature, its research novelty stems from its focus on long-term trends related to the evolution of maritime security issues placed in the context of the U.S. policy shift from the Asia-Pacific to the Indo-Pacific region.

Keywords: Китай, США, China, ASEAN, АСЕАН, Южно-Китайское море, multilateral dialogue, многосторонний диалог, Indo-Pacific region, Индо-Тихоокеанский регион, South China Sea, Asia-Pacific maritime security, U.S., Code on Conduct, безопасность на морях АТР, Кодекс поведения