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Asean's Ineffective Response To The South China Sea Disputes, Rithiya Serey

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Since 1992, five ASEAN member states (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam) have been involved in territorial disputes with China at the South China Sea (SCS). China’s presence in the SCS has prevented the populations of the five ASEAN member states from getting safe and productive access to the lucrative natural resources and trade routes to the outside regions. Even though the SCS disputes have caused economic and security problems for at least half of ASEAN member states, it is puzzling that ASEAN has been suboptimal and ineffective in responding to the disputes. To answer this puzzle, I argue …