A Study On The US Policy On The South China Sea Under The Indo-Pacific Strategy

Since Donald Trump took office in the White House in 2017,the US government has formally released the Indo-Pacific Strategy,under which it has invested diplomatic,economic,and military resources in this region.The South China Sea(hereinafter referred to as SCS),with its economic and strategic significance,has been adopted by the US as an important means to implement the strategy.This thesis aims to explore the characteristics and motives of the US policy on the SCS under the Indo-Pacific strategy and evaluate the effectiveness of the policy.The thesis finds both the Trump Administration and the succeeding Biden Administration have sought soft and hard balancing but with different priorities in their policy on the SCS,and behind it both administrations aim to achieve American hierarchical control: containing China’s development,pursuing sphere of influence and interests in the region,and maintaining its global hegemony,which has partially been realized.However,American policy on the SCS plays a very limited role in turning American Indo-Pacific strategy into a complete reality due to its loss of advantange in keeping military deterrence against China,its failure to gain support from ASEAN countries,and the predicament in maintaining its international credibility among its allies.