Publication

This paper explores the tensions that exist in the East China Sea and the growing shadow they’ve cast over national security policies. As the text’s author sees it, China’s militarized behavior in the region is part of an irreversible attempt to establish its hegemony, regardless of the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s recent rejection of its territorial claims. In the particular case of Japan, the Chinese Coast Guard’s presence in the waters around the disputed Senkaku/Diayou islands will most likely sharpen Tokyo’s defense posture and strengthen its ties with Southeast Asian nations. Such a response may be natural, concludes the author, but China’s neighbors should make every effort to avoid “bandwagoning” against it.