Cooperative Security in South China Sea: Issues and Prospects

The South China Sea (SCS) is the world’s second busiest international sea lane and conveys about one-fourth of the global crude oil and oil products. The regional states as well as the extra-regional powers are concerned on the security of the sea lane because of the overlapping claims of the Exclusive Economic Zones by the coastal states in this strategic sea. This paper examines the concept of cooperative security for adoption in the SCS as an ASEAN
mechanism to maintain peace and stability. Initially, the paper will discuss the current status of maritime good order and contribution of ASEAN’s cooperative security in promoting stability in this strategic waters. Equally importance, claims and counterclaims of the EEZ by the coastal states and China, differing interpretation of UNCLOS 1982 concerning the use of high seas for military activities by other States, and sea power projection by extra-regional
powers will also be examined. In order to address these conflicting issues, the paper will have to examine the extent of the ASEAN maritime diplomacy in terms of security agreements such as the Zone of Peace, Freedom, and Neutrality of 1971 (ZOPFAN), Treaty of Amity and Cooperation of 1998, and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties (DoC) of 2002, towards maritime cooperation in the region. Therefore, to maintain regional peace and stability, there
are four cooperative security mechanisms for ASEAN to pursue that is, upgrading DoC into a Consultative Council of South China Sea, formulation of prevention of incident at sea
agreement between ASEAN-China and China-United States, establishing light footprint’ of maritime peacekeeping operation in the SCS and promoting joint maritime- military exercises between the claimants states and extra-regional powers. In conclusion, the paper will impress upon the political will of ASEAN, China and the extra-regional power to maintain peace and stability in the SCS.