Promoting Joint Development in the South China Sea: Lessons from Southeast Asia Countries

　　Abstract: The Southeast Asian States of Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and East Timor have successfully engaged in joint development activities together or with states from outside the region in contested waters. In the early 1980s, China proposed the principle of handling controversy in the South China Sea through joint development activities. Until present though, this principle has yet to be successfully applied or promoted. This article analyzes the experiences of Southeast Asian countries in joint development of contested waters, and applies these lessons to consider ways of promoting joint development in the South China Sea.