Experience Anu

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 unsettled the regional security order, drawing the attention of the United States, Australia and other powers concerned about freedom of navigation and a rules-based order. The springboard for this discussion is the recently published book, edited by Leszek Buszynski and Christopher Roberts, which examines the South China Sea as an ongoing maritime dispute which has become a potential conflict zone. This volume is the final outcome of a National Security College collaborative research project, which involved a number of present and former academic staff from both the College and the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at ANU. The book examines the conflict potential of