How China and Asean can build the foundations for South China Sea cooperation
- The overlapping claims on territory and resource control are complex and defy easy solutions, but there are areas of clear common interests
- Joining hands on tourism development, environmental management and humanitarian relief will not only bring benefits, but also help claimant states develop ways to work together
From an operational perspective, cooperation among South China Sea littoral states can be divided into three areas. First, the parties in question can directly resolve their territorial disputes and delimitation claims through bilateral dialogue and consultation.
Second, China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and other subregional states can establish crisis management mechanisms through bilateral or multilateral negotiations and consultations, to avoid conflicts over the control of islands and reefs, as well as maritime jurisdiction and resource development.
Third, all South China Sea coastal states can implement regional maritime governance arrangements on marine environmental protection, maritime search and rescue, and the like.
In general, however, current maritime cooperation remains on a bilateral level, in traditional fields, rather than on a multilateral basis and in non-traditional fields. Many initiatives simply have not been implemented.
For example, most littoral states continue to remain ambivalent about the initiative previously proposed by China to set up three specialist technical committees under the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC).