A U.S. South China Sea Perspective: Just Over the Horizon

Abstract
In 2011 Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared that the twenty-first century will be
“America’s Pacific century.” 1 This pivot of U.S. foreign policy to concentrate on the Asia-
Pacific region offers many opportunities, but the greatest challenge, and most likely flashpoint
for military conflict in the region, is decades-long sovereignty disputes over South China Sea
islands.
Six nations — China, Malaysia, Brunei, Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan — have
claimed sovereignty over several islands, reefs, and in many cases, large rocks, so as to gain oil
and fishing rights. These claims threaten freedom of navigation and stability in the South China
Sea, which has become critical to the world economy due to the enormous volume of trade and
petroleum that passes through its waters.
China’s claim of sovereignty encompasses over 80% of the South China Sea, along with
its growing political, economic and military strength, have prompted the other disputants to
develop closer diplomatic and military ties with the United States. To protect American interests
and balance China’s growing military capability, the U.S. Navy is increasing its presence in the
region and may establish new naval bases in Singapore, the Philippines, and even Vietnam.
Before increasing U.S. naval presence in the South China Sea, the U.S. Navy should first
endeavor to improve military-to-military relations with China. The U.S. Navy could facilitate the
inclusion of the Chinese military to participate in the hundreds of exercises conducted in the
Pacific every year, building trust rather than acting on mistrust. The Unites States and China
could also pursue various common goals in the region that could transform strategic threats into
strategic cooperation. The current course of assertive U.S. policy and increased military presence
must be reevaluated or it could create instability in the region and block the path to resolving the
South China Sea’s sovereignty disputes.
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