Overview In this paper, six experts examine the South China Sea issue, and what role middle powers can play in helping ensure that the contest over disputed territory does not lead to conflict. Brendan Taylor and William Tow examine Australian debates, arguing that Australian policymakers should explore an ‘Asia-first’ approach by cooperating with Indonesia and...

The Philippines had a major, if unenforceable, win against China in the 12 July South China Sea Arbitration under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. But the implications go beyond the bilateral dispute between China and the Philippines and it carries great legal weight as an authoritative ruling by an international...

Abstract This paper examines Australia’s national security interests in the South China Sea. It notes that a number of states lay claim to various islands in the region, and that territorial disputes over those claims have occasionally erupted into armed conflict in the past. The paper contends that China’s more recent behaviour in asserting its...

The South China Sea is a major strategic waterway for trade and energy shipments to Asia’s major economies. It has been the focus of maritime disputes which have continued for more than six decades, with competing claims from China, Vietnam, the Philippines and others. In recent years, growing Chinese assertiveness in pressing its claims has...