New Approaches to the South China Sea Conflicts
The South China Sea conflicts pose a regional threat to peace, maritime security and economic progress in ASEAN, the coastal states along South China Sea (SCS) and global trade. All of the main claimants, including China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei, have ratified UNCLOS (The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea). UNCLOS contains specific mechanisms for dispute resolution but these have not yet proven to be effective.