The United States and China’s maritime territorial disputes
Document Type
Book chapter
Source Publication
Handbook of US–China Relations
Publication Date
2016
First Page
303
Last Page
322
Publisher
Edward Elgar Publishing
Abstract
Much as this chapter is about China’s sovereignty disputes over maritime territories with its neighbors, it is more about the underappreciated roles played by the United States in the claims over the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea and the various outcrops in the South China Sea such as the Spratlys and the Paracels. The United States has no territorial claims over these islands, but it has been involved in issues related to them since the end of World War II, and continues to be by dint of its security presence in the region. US involvement has been actively sought by countries contesting China’s claims to these territories, such as Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam, and those that are not parties to the disputes, but are nonetheless concerned about China asserting its influence in East and Southeast Asia through construction of military facilities on these outcrops. The chapter concludes with possible steps that both China and the United States can take to reduce tension caused by these disputes.
DOI
10.4337/9781784715731.00025
Publisher Statement
Copyright © Edward Elgar Publishing 2016. Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.
Additional Information
ISBN of the source publication: 9781784715724
Full-text Version
Publisher’s Version
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Chung, C.-P. (2016). The United States and China’s maritime territorial disputes. In A. T. H. Tan (Ed.), Handbook of US–China relations (pp.303-322). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing. doi: 10.4337/9781784715731.00025