Tactics Employed by ASEAN Nations in the Resolution of Disputes over Territorial Waters and Considerations for Resolution of the South China Seas Dispute

　　Abstract: With the exception of the dispute over the South China Seas, ASEAN states have generally employed the following three tactics in resolving disputes over territorial waters: the employment of collective development schemes for disputed waters; submission of disputes to the International Court of Justice for resolution; and the use of armed conflict complemented with political negotiations. Empirically speaking, different tactics have produced different results. In recent years, ASEAN member nations have, through various means occupied Chinese territory in the South China Seas, greatly complicating the problem of the South China Seas. In coming years, China will face tremendous challenges from ASEAN states with respect to its sovereignty in the South China Seas, and the resolution of these disputes continues to become a very sensitive issue between China and ASEAN. The means that ASEAN states have employed to resolve other disputes over territorial waters can be considered with an eye towards finding solutions to the disputes in the South China Seas. 

　　Authors: Shao Jianping is a Master Degree Student in the Institute for International Relations of Yunnan University;

　　Li Chenyang is the Director of and a research professor in the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies of Yunnan University