The south china sea dispute: a critical analysis of the maritime conflict

Abstract

The overall purpose of this research is to focus on and examine the South China Sea issue and reasons behind the fragile nature of the dispute, as well as the strategic significance of the overall region for international shipping and trade. Importantly, this research endeavors to propose a potential solution to the maritime dispute from various different sources. As any prospective solution would have an impact, this research will also investigate into the effects of possible solution on the regional as well as international economic and security environment. The primary reason which forced me to choose this topic was the significance of South China Sea as an important waterway in the structure of international shipping and trade; hence, the overall international commerce as well security would largely be impacted by the controlling of this vital and strategic trade route. In addition, the region is estimated to have one of the biggest natural gas and oil reserves as well as large magnitude of seafood which is crucial for the populations of the region. As the issue has the potential for a military escalation to occur, it is important to assess the overall conditions in order to move towards a viable and peaceful solution