Publication

This paper discusses and revisits the South China Sea dispute by reviewing the 1974 and 1988 naval encounters, and the Mischief Reef incidents of 1995 and 1999. It states that China has shown an opportunistic attitude since 1974 while the United States has represented the belief that the South China Sea territorial disputes should be settled peacefully by the claimants themselves. The paper argues that ASEAN must adopt a unified position and offers suggestions as to what ASEAN can do collectively to avert the eventual control of the South China Sea by China.