The contested waters of the South China Sea are once again making headlines as China clashes more frequently with other claimant states as well as the United States in the strategic and resource-rich waterways. With little prospect of solving the underlying territorial and maritime disputes, current development trends - such as China's rapid expansion of its maritime power projection capacity and the growing naval presence of the US and other external actors - suggest that the South China Sea will figure prominently as a geopolitical arena in the coming years.

This seminar takes stock of recent developments in the South China Sea, including near-collision incidents between US and Chinese vessels, the standoff between China and the Philippines around the Second Thomas Shoal and China's publication of an updated official map denoting its claims in the South China Sea. It also asks whether we should primarily view these developments within the broader US-China great power rivalry or rather as the result of more specific circumstances.

To discuss these and other issues, DIIS has invited Collin Koh, one of the most knowledgeable and media-cited experts on the South China Sea and maritime security issues more broadly.

Speakers
Andreas Bøje Forsby, senior researcher, DIIS

Collin Koh, senior fellow, RSIS - S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Singapore


Programme
Introduction, Andreas Bøje Forsby
Andreas will set the stage for discussing the maritime and territorial disputes in the South China Sea and present a few findings from his new Policy Brief.
South China Sea Disputes – A View from Singapore, Collin Koh
The SCS disputes have been in recent times framed popularly within the context of the growing China-U.S. rivalry. While the extant geopolitical competition has featured prominently in the SCS, however, it is important not to lose sight of the subtle display and assertion of strategic agency and autonomy of concerned Southeast Asian parties in the disputes. This presentation highlights the continuity and prospects of regional responses to the evolving SCS situation.
Q&A session

Thumbnail photo: Illustration © China Coast Guard/Reuters/Ritzau Scanpix
A Chinese Coast Guard ship launches what the Coast Guard says is a warning water cannon spray in the direction of a Philippine vessel at an unknown location at sea on 5 August 2023.

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