The South China Sea (SCS) has been in the spotlight since the Permanent Court of Arbitration's ruling in 2016, favouring the Philippines on its maritime entitlements. China rejected the verdict and militarized the islands while asserting its 'historic rights' over more than 80% of the SCS. This book examines China's behaviour in the SCS from multiple perspectives like history, environment, law, trade, security, and its relations with Southeast Asian countries that have their own EEZ claims in the SCS, revealing that their actions align with their grand strategy of becoming a global and maritime superpower by 2050 with the Nine Dash Line at its centre.
Print edition not for sale in South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Bhutan)
Acknowledgements
Preface
Introduction
Abbreviations
1. What Makes the Nine Dash Line Special?: A Background
2. Legalities of the Chinese Claims in the Nine Dash Line
3. Nine Dash Line in China’s ‘Rise to Power’
4. South China Sea Littorals: ‘Contested’ Spaces and Coordinating Relations
5. The Security Dynamics: PLAN, Coast Guard and Maritime Militia
6. Economic Importance of the South China Sea
7. Climate Change and Environmental Perspective in the SCS
8. Conclusion
Biography
Pooja Bhatt, former Research Associate at Centre for Air Power Studies, New Delhi. Previously worked at the Indian Council of World Affairs, a research institute under the Ministry of External Affairs, India.
