A Brief Analysis Of The US Policy On The Dispute Over South China Sea

A major marine traffic artery as it is, South China Sea is a fertile sea area with abundant natural resources and significant strategic importance. China possesses indisputable territorial sovereignty over South China Sea and its affiliating archipelago, a fact that even the United States acquiesces to. The post cold war era witnesses a rapid enhancement in China’s comprehensive national prowess and international status. The US China policy thus also shifted from "uniting China in confrontation with the Soviet Union" to "a combination of strategic competition and cooperation". As mirrored in the changing US China policy, the US policy towards South China sea has also been adjusted. In order to counter the global expansion policy of the Soviet Union during the Cold War period, the United States took a temperate stand on the "South China Sea dispute", sometimes even at the cost of weaker allies in favor of a Sino-US coalition. The year1955came as a watershed in that the United States begin to take on the role of regional arbiter in South China Sea area and further enhanced its military and political influence in the area. The United States also formed military coalition with some countries in the region to check China’s growing presence in South China Sea. The US policy towards South China Sea has further shifted to "containing China’s effective expansion in South China Sea area". This policy change came as a result of a prolonged process of policy evolution. However, no matter how the US policy changes, it ultimately serves America’s goal of national strategic development.The current US South China Sea policy is set under the background of America’s global strategic contraction and its foreign policy to contain China’s development. It is a regional policy based on "First island chain" and The "Arch of Instability" identified by Zbigniew Brzezinski, and an focal link in the US global strategic layout. It is strongly specified to contain China and incites other countries undue ambition for South China Sea. And it puts the region at swords point, greatly cripples China’s effort in defending territorial sovereignty and creates another focal point for Sino-US political standoff.China should underscore its territorial claim on South China Sea and enhance administrative management in the area in the principle of "shelving dispute and joint development", and act accordingly to the US South China Sea policy. China should not only emphasize the irrefutable fact that "sovereignty of the sea area lays with China" but also respect all countries legitimate rights within the area; China should not only avert direct military clash with the US in the sea area but also prevent the degradation and intensifying of the dispute; China should not only vigorously enhance its national defense power in case of a local warfare but also work proactively to form a strategic coalition with Taiwan on the South China Sea dispute. The Chinese administration should adopt the above mentioned suggestions in a comprehensive manner to weaken or eliminate the adverse effect of US South China Sea policy.This dissertation first looks into the history and status quo of the South China Sea dispute. An analysis of the US South China Sea policy evolution and its characteristic at each historic stage is then given. The third part would introduce past US interventions in the South China Sea dispute which yields an image of the US that seeks to put its policy into practice. The fourth part gives a detailed analysis of the current US South China Sea policy from the perspective of strategic background, US China policy, economy, military and politics. The final part summarizes the impact of US South China Sea policy evolution and our corresponding countermeasures.