A New Attitude to Reduce Tension in the South China Sea

Abstract

The increasing conflict and instability regarding South China Sea turned over the profound political and economic relations that were formed between China and the ASEAN states since 1997. In 2002, China and the ASEAN countries signed the ASEAN China Declaration of the Conduct of Parties (DOC), but it failed to fulfil the major objectives that involved endorsing a peaceful, welcoming, and pleasant atmosphere in the South China Sea. It is to be noted that the last ten years were full of clashes and conflicts. Thus, the South China Sea has essentially become a possible “battlefield” if discussions or dialogues amongst the relevant participants have not been successfully or well controlled. The basic purpose of this paper is to investigate China’s attitude in the South China Sea disagreements by focusing on its line of attack for handling its demands.