An Analysis of the Indian Modi Administration's Policy on the South China Sea Issue

Geographically,India is not a country in the region of the South China Sea,nor is it a country concerned in the issue on a geopolitical level or a US ally in the Asia-Pacific region.It has been very cautious to avoid taking sides in the South China Sea issue.However,since Modi took office in 2014,changes have taken place in the external environment that India faces,in maritime safety strategy,as well as in India's policies toward the US and China.India is becoming increasingly active in the issue of the South China Sea,voicing criticism and taking precautions against China.While India's policy on the South China Sea will not be completely the same as that of the United States and Japan,due to concerns for its own interests in the future,it is quite possible that India will take advantage of the issue of the South China Sea and will adopt more comprehensive ways to get involved in the issue.     

South China Sea： Disputes and Great Powers

In the South China Sea disputes,China has ample proof to claim sovereignty over the Xisha Islands(the Paracel Islands)and Nansha Islands(the Spratly Islands)while the claims of certain southeast Asian countries do not hold any water.The South China Sea disputes have their origins in the San Francisco Peace Treaty signed in 1951,the result of intervention by the United States and Great Britain in regional affairs.Even today,the United States has not discarded its Cold War mentality and continues to intervene in the South China Sea disputes.The only change in the United States’ attitude is that it has changed its pretext for intervention from "containing Communist expansion" in the past to "preserving freedom of navigation in the South China Sea" in the present.     

The Current Situation in the South China Sea Dispute and Suggested Responses

Tensions have been rising over the South China Sea issue in the last year. The return of the U.S.to the Asia-Pacific region has exacerbated the South China Sea dispute.This shift in U.S.strategy has seen concentrations of its land,sea and air forces in the region,in order to     

Building an Asia-Pacifi c Security Architecture: Objectives, Conditions and Visions

It is pointed out by the Chinese leadership that, despite numerous frameworks for Asia-Pacifi c economic cooperation, a regional security architecture that suits the regional realities and meets the needs of various countries should and must be constructed. China should grasp the current strategic opportunities, assume the role of concept-generator and agenda maker, and duly advocate the creation of an Asia-Pacifi c regional security architecture. This paper lists six objectives in building a regional security architecture, compares the positions and proposals of various countries on regional security affairs and analyzes the three salient security issues—North Korea, the East China Sea and the South China Sea. Given the attitudes of the United States, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Australia and the ASEAN, it is impossible for any one of these entities to take the initiative in building a comprehensive architecture; nor is it advisable for China to do so under these circumstances. What China needs to do at this moment is to defi ne its strategic goals and clarify its strategic thinking.     

岛礁建设会改变南海局势现状吗?（英文）

<正>The West Pacific has become a new hot spot in the tense East Asian security situation.Aside from the dispute between China and Japan over the Diaoyu Islands,which is far from being resolved,the South China Sea(SCS)issue is catching a lot of attention,especially given China’s island and reef construction(IRC)activities on its Nansha Islands.On April     

India's Involvement in the South China Sea Disputes

India has long maintained a cautious stance on the South China Sea issue.As the regional situation has shifted,government statements began showing stronger support of claims from Vietnam and the Philippines and New Delhi began taking a series of practical moves to get involved in the dispute.Compared with the active and committed involvement of the US and Japan on this issue,India's position has not been stable.India and Vietnam have cooperated closely in the security arena in disputed waters,despite strong protest from China.     

China and the Pacific Island Countries

Since formal diplomatic relations between China and Fiji were established in 1975, China has gradually developed its bilateral and multilateral relations with the Pacific islands countries （PICs）. Especially in recent years, China has deepened its involvement in the South Pacific, and its influence in the region has been growing rapidly. Today, China appears to be one of the major players in the South Pacific region. This increased Chinese engagement has drawn wide attention in academic and political circles. While some scholars and analysts take a positive view of such an engagement, others are concerned about the rising presence of China in the region. Is China＇s engagement with the South Pacific a new strategic threat or not？ This paper will examine the major motives underlying China＇s engagement with the South Pacific and analyze the implications of China＇s engagement for the PICs and Australia.     

Prospecting and Developing South China Sea Oil and Gas Resources

The South China Sea oil and gas resource issue is one of the key factors triggering disputes in the South China Sea. If one acknowledges that the sovereignty and demarcation of islands, shoals and atolls in the Nansha Islands and elsewhere represent the heart of the current disputes in the South China Sea, then one can clearly recognize that the South China Sea oil and gas resource issue is the strategic center of the conflict for relevant parties.     

It Is Not Necessary to Follow U.S. Leadership

The South China Sea dispute has a long history.Regardless of the principles set out by the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea(DOC) signed by the foreign ministers of China and ASEAN member countries on November 4th,2002,some countries have     

The ＂Abe/Aso Regime＂ and Sino-Japanese Relations

Following the Japanese Liberal Democratic Party＇s victory in the December 2012 election, some Japanese analysts pointed out that the new Abe/Aso Govemment would introduce rightist policies, and that as such it would be more difficult for China and Japan to improve their bilateral relations. As expected, in the past six months since its coming to power, the Abe cabinet has vigorously promoted so-called ＂Abe economics＂ and implemented a quantitative easing monetary policy that has caused a drastic depreciation of the Japanese Yen. In order to revise the ＂Constitution of Japan＂, in July 2013 it has been striving to win the election of the Senate. Externally, the new cabinet members have frequently visited foreign countries, implementing a diplomatic strategy of containing and countering China. One of its aims is to completely rid itself of the shackles of World War II and to try to reconstruct powerful military forces. The Diaoyu Islands issue has been used by the Abe cabinet to serve its domestic and foreign policy objectives,     

Properly Handling the Third Party Issues in Sino-U.S. Relations

The relationship between China and the United States is becoming increasingly important in the world; no longer is it limited to bilateral issues, and the third party issue has grown in significance. There are various kinds of third party countries.Some of these, such as Japan, South Korea, Australia and the European countries are U.S. allies. Some, like the central Asian and ASEAN states, are neighbors of China. In the category of major world powers we can also include Russia, India, Japan and the EU, while African and some Latin American countries are relatively marginalized. An important aspect of China's diplomacy in recent years has been to work hard on two fronts:to develop relations with the above mentioned countries, while at the same time taking note of the interests and concerns of the United States. China has achieved a successful balance between the two.     

An Analysis of U.S.Involvement in the South China Sea Dispute

The U.S. is the largest country outside of the region to involve itself in the South China Sea dispute. U.S. policy on this issue is guided by the principle of containing China＇s rise and this will continue to be the case in the near future. Meanwhile, the U.S. has proposed a new multi-lateral security mechanism, incorporating itself, in the South China Sea. This article will put forward some reflections and suggestions on the above issues.     

＂Strategic Reassurance＂ and the Future of China-U.S. Relations

＂Strategic reassurance,＂ a new concept in Obama＇s China policy, should be fostered bilaterally by dialogue designed to highlight and reinforce the areas of common interests while addressing the sources of mistrust directly. Yet in practice it seems that U.S. strategic reassurance has contrasted all China＇s core interests. The United States and China must recognize their different social systems and asymmetrical national strength in seeking to realize strategic stability. Crisis control requires sophisticated management of both side, especially on sensitive issues like weapons sales, the Dalai Lama, and the South China Sea dispute.     

The Trends of Cross-Straits Relations in a Changing East Asia

The repercussions of high-profile ＂returning to Asia＂ and implementation of the Asia Pacific rebalancing strategy by the US has been felt in Asia. The US has openly given support to Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam to challenge China and secretly instigated some ASEAN and South Asian countries to go against China.     

How to Make the U.S. Stay Neutral on the South China Sea Issue

The South China Sea issue involves China’s sovereignty disputes with Vietnam and the Philippines;at the same time,it also includes China’s sea disputes with the U.S..The conflicts are different in nature but China has been trapped into strategic passivity.     

Japan＇s UN Diplomacy and Its Prospects

Japan＇s diplomacy related to the United Nations can be traced back to 1956 when it formally joined the United Nations. After raising the goal of becoming a ＂political power＂ in the 1980s, Japan, in order to boost its international status, has spared no efforts on enforcing its diplomacy toward the United Nations. Boasting the world＇s second largest economy, Japan, after the end of the Cold War, openly declared its pursuance of permanent membership of the UN Security Council and competed for a permanent seat on the Council respectively during the 50th and 60th Sessions of the UN General Assembly held in 1995 and 2005. Besides, by rallying G4, Japan also aligned with Germany, India and Brazil in jointly claiming permanent seats on the UN Security Council. Though suffering repeated setbacks, Japan has never given up its attempt in this regard.     

How Can China, the U.S. and China＇ s Neighbors Interact Positively？

New Developments Before the 2008 financial crisis,and especially before the U.S.began its "return" to Asia,relations between China,the U.S.and China's neighbors in East Asia were not a major issue.However,since 2010,relations have been stirred up.Take the Cheonan incident,the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island,the Diaoyu Islands dispute between China and Japan,the Huangyan Island confrontation between China and the Philippines,and the South China Sea issue,for example.Sino-U.S.relations have grown more complex,and sovereignty disputes between China and some of its neighbors have intensified.At the same time,relations between the U.S.and most of China'sneighbors have improved.The U.S.' decision to "pivot" to Asia contains many objectives.     

＂New Thinking＂ in Japan＇s Diplomacy--On the New Fukuda Doctrine

In September 2008, Yasuo Fukuda resigned after serving for a year as prime minister, and then Taro Aso formed a new cabinet. Due to the boycott of the opposition parties in the Diet, which wielded the majority, the Fukuda cabinet had achieved little in terms of internal affair. In foreign affairs, however, it left a deep impression by improving relations with China and advancing the New Fukuda Doctrine. As for the Aso cabinet, people were once worried that troubles might erupt in China-Japan relations given Aso＇s past stand. But since taking office as prime minister, Aso has kept a positive attitude toward promoting China-Japan relations and Asian diplomacy. Then what are the new considerations of Japan in its Asian diplomacy and Japan-China relations？ What position do China-Japan relations occupy in Japan＇s Asian diplomacy？ What are the tendencies of Japan＇s Asian diplomacy and its China policy？ All these issues warrant in-depth probing.     

The Delimitation of East China Sea Continental Shelf:Sino-Japanese Disputes from the Perspective of International Law

The East China Sea which covers a total area of 750,000 square kilometers is a semi-closed sea lying between the eastern coast of China's mainland and the Pacific Ocean, bounded on the west by China, on the east by the Kyushu and the Ryukyu Islands of Japan, and on the north by Jichu Island of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the Yellow Sea, and connected with the South China Sea by the Taiwan Strait on     

U.S.-China-Japan Relations and China＇ s Strategic Choices

japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe＇s visit to the Yasukuni Shrine has escalated tensions between China and Japan that were triggered by the Diaoyu Islands dispute. Changes in the balance of power between China and Japan have caused concerns and strategic restlessness in Japan. Because of public opinion and his party＇s control of the House of Representatives and Senate, Abe is now eager to further his aims both domestically and overseas. That is why he said： ＂Now is the time for Japan to take the big step in building a new state.＂ The U.S. supports a stronger Japan because it is looking to maintain the strategic balance in the Asia-Pacific region. Its Asia-Pacific Rebalancing strategy is bound to inflame Japan＇s ambitions. In fact, Japan has been actively pursuing stronger ties with the U.S. and became more aggressive over the Diaoyu Islands issue.