The Cooperative Security Road To The South China Sea Issue

The world has been changed upside down by economic globalization. Meanwhile, new problems like financial crises, transnational crime, terrorism, and environmental degradation have threatened regional and global security. New non-traditional security areas are keeping pace with traditional security area like military security. One country hoping to maintain national security has to cooperate with others countries. In the theories of international relations, realism adheres to hegemonic cooperation, and neo-liberalism upholds mechanism cooperation, while constructivism supports cultural cooperation. However, cooperation theories of three schools have its shortcomings. The author thinks that for the specific issue, cooperative security has become the new perspective to address security issues. The concept of cooperative security was formed by comprehensive security and common security, which emphasizes covering most security areas and security stakeholders. Cooperative security containing contents of comprehensive security and shapes of common security, points out how to access safety. Cooperative security includes five features, namely:comprehensive contents, inclusive members, flexible organization, gradual mechanism, and preventive means. ASEAN Regional Forum is the practical model of cooperative security, for its member countries, forum subject, organization, and operation characteristics embody the concept of cooperative security. In addition, China’s overall national security and "Asian Security Concept" are also important practices of cooperative security concept.The South China Sea issue is influencing the stability of Asia-Pacific area, which relates to wide range parties and presents a comprehensive trend. The South China Sea issue not only contains the problem of military security, but also covers problems in economic security and environmental security areas. In terms of economic security, the safety of maritime navigation is affected by piracy, terrorism and armed force. Oil and gas development is confronting with potential political risk, as well as the lack of mechanism for multilateral consultation. Because of fishery disputes and lacking of effective management, fisheries development is also in chaos. Concerning military security, locating two oceans and holding vital straits, the South China Sea has an important military value. Related parties aim to expand strategic depth and improve living space through grabbing Spratly Islands. Claims of maritime boundary and grabbing Spratly Islands is preceding in furious situation. Finally, in environmental security area, the South China Sea is facing not only pollution problems like land-based pollution, pollution from ships, and pollution caused by maritime source development, but also non-pollution problems such as the declination of fisheries resources and the deterioration of the coastal environment. Issues from military security, economic security and environmental security that the South China Sea is confronted with do not individually exist, while they are influenced by each other. The integration of security issues in South China Sea is becoming apparent.Cooperative security suits for the South China Sea issue, which has the following reasons. First of all, the South China relates to seven parties, which matches the concept of cooperative security in inclusive members. Secondly, the South China Sea issue includes several security areas, which matches the concept of cooperative security in comprehensive contents. Thirdly, related parties of the South China Sea issue prefer to flexible solving means, which matches the concept of cooperative security in flexible means. Finally, the related parties of the South China Sea agree with gradual mechanism. The most prominent problems of the South China Sea issue are oil and gas development of economic security and dividing maritime boundary of military security. The author considered that joint development is the key to oil and gas development, and "multilateral principals, less side talks" is the strategy to define maritime boundary. The author attempts to build up the framework of "joint development".1. to establish mutual trust.2. to define common developers.3. To identify the zone of common development.4. to choose management model flexibly. 5. to define the business model.6. to finalize laws and regulations in the zone of common development.7. to nail down issue-solving mechanism. In addition, how to handle pre-existing rights is important to common development. In terms of military security, "multilateral principles" means the related parties conclude a binding common principles and norms, and "less side talks" means in the specific disputes of islands and maritime boundary, the related parties negotiates under the common principles and norms. Constructing the framework of Code of Conduct in South China Sea must be enforced. Furthermore, China and ASEAN countries had experience in defining maritime boundary, and the related parties should consider with it. Finally, for extra-regional powers involving the South China Sea issue, the related parties one hand should jointly oppose, on the other hand they need to cooperate with the powers.