China and the South China Sea. A quest for dominance in global politics

Master's Thesis from the year 2016 in the subject Politics - Basics and General, grade: 71, , course: International Relations, language: English, abstract: The study aims at uncovering the immediate and remote causes of chinäs land reclamations and assertiveness in the South China Sea. It uncovers that it is not unconnected with the strategic importance of South China Sea, a sea that connects the Western-Pacific and Indian Ocean, routes that account for more than half of the world trade and containing large deposits of marine lives and hydrocarbons. Privatizing all these resources and the routes will lift China to the height of global power status, a position that will enable it to challenge the supremacy of U.S. hence, its sand filling and structures building agenda in South China Sea. Within the lenses of structural and offensive realism, the study captures the reasons for Chinäs actions, modernization agenda and even U.S "pivot" to Asia-Pacific as the quest for survival in a world without a government to restrain the actions of the states. The international system becomes a zero-sum game where the winner takes it all. Also, using the qualitative method of analysis to validate the research questions raised, the study finds out that the historic claims raised by China in its nine-dashed line is not founded in the UNCLOS. With the global security dilemma which continues to play out in the South China Sea, the study predicts that the dispute will not end anytime soon. Therefore, as part of efforts to reduce tension in the region, there is need for Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which has seemed impotent to tackle the dispute to forge one voice against China. With the idea of joint development of resources still the best option for the claimants, United States should show more commitment in the region in other to deter an assertive and aggressive China, which has recently shown greater international activism especially since the enthronement of Xi Jiping, the President of Peoples Republic of China.