China’s Territorial Disputes in the South China Sea: Prologue from Past to Present

Abstract

Territorial disputes in the South China Sea are again under the international spotlight. Presence of huge untapped hydrocarbon reserves, conflicting sovereignty claims, rising nationalism, grey areas in the UNCLOS, strategic location and the busiest sea lines of communications in the sea, have made every claimant state to adopt hardening positions against each other. This research tries to find the answer of question that why, despite the increased economic interdependence, the claimant states have failed to resolve their territorial disputes in the region. Theoretically, realist construct of National Interest is being used as a lens in the study. Historical approach of qualitative research methodology is employed to track the record of conflicts, stances and strategies being used by the claimants. This study arrives at the conclusion that the joint mechanism for managing the assets of this sea could only be a viable option to maintain peace in the region.