Security in the East Sea: Behaviors of relevant countries

Abstract

In recent years, the East Sea hasn’t been just a busy shipping lane but also a theater where many powers have been showing their military capacity. In particular, China has continuously increased its actions of “Brinksmanship”, violations of UNCLOS, commitments signed between it and ASEAN, etc. which has shown that China is one of the major causes of the unrest in the East Sea area.

On the opposite side, as a result of the recent escalation of aggressive behavior on China’s part, the United States has strengthened its presence in the East Sea, which is considered the test for “rebalancing and pivoting” strategy. The strategic competition between China and the United States has increased dramatically almost to the point of a new Cold War. Japan, India, Russia, Australia, etc. which are non-claimant states, have shown their own strategies.

In the complicated geo-political situation in the East Sea, Vietnam’s foreign policy of “keeping steadfast in various situations with flexibility – (Di bat bien, ung van bien” or “Uyen chuyen trong kien dinh”) has played a significant role in maintaining stability in security of the East Sea. However, to guarantee security in the region, ASEAN quickly should unify the official ASEAN view on the East Sea issue and tighten solidarity in economic, political and military fields.