Hedging and Behavioral Adjustments: A Study of Interaction between China and ASEAN on the South China Seas

　　Abstract: The dispute over the South China Seas is a long term issue between China and other claimants to sovereignty which has impacted bilateral relations between China and a number of Southeast Asia states, and which has become an obstacle to developing relations between China and ASEAN. External interventions in the issue may further result in the issue’s evolution into a threat for regional security and stability. Throughout the course of diplomatic efforts between China and ASEAN, ASEAN states have opted to hedge against China by deepening their military relations with the United States in response to China’s expanding power. For its part, China has adjusted its behavior to ensure that the situation in the South China Seas will be most favorable to its own interests. Over 20 years, the two sides have constructed a mixed means of interaction which has essentially functioned to sustain peace and stability in the region.

　　Author: Liu Aming is an Associate Researcher in the Institute of Asia Pacific Studies of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences