This article examines the strategies employed by China and Japan in advancing their national interests in the South China Sea dispute. It argues that both China and Japan have increasingly taken advantage of economic means and formal institutions to pursue political-security goals in relation to maritime disputes in the South China Sea. While China has employed economic means as ‘carrot and stick’ to influence the diplomatic stance of Southeast Asian states, Japan has utilized foreign economic aid for strategic objectives, even revising the basic principles of its development assistance policy. Moreover, China has strengthened institutional ties with ASEAN members by focusing on infrastructure development, whereas Japan has intensified the formation of multilateral institutions by expanding the scope from maritime safety to maritime security targeting China.
Copeland, D.C. (2015). Economic interdependence and war. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
15.
De Castro, R.C. (2013). China and Japan in maritime Southeast Asia: Extending their geo-strategic rivalry by competing for friends. Philippine Political Science Journal, 34(2), 150–169.
16.
Dent, C.M. (Ed.). (2008). China, Japan and regional leadership in East Asia. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
17.
Emmers, R. (2014). ASEAN’s search for neutrality in the South China Sea. Asian Journal of Peacebuilding, 2(1), 61–77.
18.
Fravel, M.T. (2014). Things fall apart: Maritime disputes and China’s regional diplomacy. In J.deLisle & A.Goldstein (Eds), China’s challenges (pp. 204–226). Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press.
19.
Goh, E. (2013). The struggle for order: Hegemony, hierarchy, and transition in Post-Cold War East Asia. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
20.
Gu, X., & Li, M. (2009). Beibu Gulf: Emerging sub-regional integration between China and ASEAN (Working Paper No. 168). Singapore: S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.
He, K. (2008). Institutional balancing and international relations theory: Economic interdependence and balance of power strategies in Southeast Asia. European Journal of International Relations, 14(3), 489–518.
23.
He, K. (2009). Institutional balancing in the Asia-Pacific: Economic interdependence and China’s rise. London and New York, NY: Routledge.
24.
Hirschman, A.O. (1945). National power and the structure of foreign trade. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
25.
Honna, J. (2014). ASEAN-Japan cooperation on maritime non-traditional security issues: Toward a new paradigm. In T.Shiraishi & T.Kojima (Eds), ASEAN-Japan relations (pp. 96–113). Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.
26.
Hosokawa, D. (2014). Betonamu no keizai to anzenhosho [Vietnam’s economy and security]. Kokusai Mondai, 634, 25–36.
27.
Ikenberry, G.J. (2001). After victory: Institutions, strategic restraint, and the rebuilding of order after major wars. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
28.
Ishikane, K. (2011). After the closing of ASEAN Plus Three and East Asia Summit. A report at the 48th Policy Plenary Meeting. Tokyo: The Council on East Asia Community.
Jervis, R. (2003). Realism, neoliberalism, and cooperation: Understanding the debate. In C.Elman & M. F.Elman (Eds), Progress in international relations theory: Appraising the field (pp. 227–309). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
32.
Ji, Y. (2017). Managing the South China Sea dilemma: China’s strategy and policy. In L.Dittmer & N.C.Bing (Eds), Southeast Asia and China: A contest in mutual socialization (pp. 51–69). Singapore: World Scientific.
Ju, H. (2015). China’s maritime power and strategy: History, national security and geopolitics. Singapore: World Scientific.
35.
Kato, Y. (2010). China’s naval expansion in the Western Pacific. Global Asia, 5(4), 18–21.
36.
Keohane, R.O. (1984). After hegemony: Cooperation and discord in the world political economy. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
37.
Kim, J. (2016). Possible future of the contest in the South China Sea. The Chinese Journal of International Politics, 9(1), 27–57.
38.
Kitano, N. (2014). Japanese development assistance to ASEAN countries. In T.Shiraishi & T.Kojima (Eds), ASEAN-Japan relations (pp. 207–236). Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.
39.
Koo, M.G. (2009). Island disputes and maritime regime building in East Asia: Between a rock and a hard place. Dordrecht: Springer.
40.
Lim, A.C.-H. (2015). China’s ‘belt and road’ and Southeast Asia: Challenges and prospects. Jati, 20, 3–15.
41.
Lu, G. (2016). China seeks to improve Mekong sur-regional cooperation: Causes and policies. Singapore: S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies Policy Report.
42.
Mansfield, E.D., & Pollins, B.M. (2001). The study of interdependence and conflict. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 46(6), 834–859.
43.
Martin, L., & Simmons, B. (1998). Theories and empirical studies of international institutions. International Organization, 52(4), 729–757.
44.
McDevitt, M. (2013). The South China Sea and U.S. policy options. American Foreign Policy Interests, 35(4), 175–187.
45.
Midford, P. (2015). Japan’s approach to maritime security in the South China Sea. Asian Survey, 55(3), 525–547.
National Institute for Defense Studies Japan (NIDS). (2017). Eat Asian strategic review 2017. Tokyo: Urban Connections.
49.
Nie, W. (2016). Xi Jinping’s foreign policy dilemma: One belt, One road or the South China Sea?Contemporary Southeast Asia, 38(3), 422–444.
50.
Ravindran, M.S. (2012). China’s potential for economic coercion in the South China Sea disputes: A comparative study of the Philippines and Vietnam. Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, 31(3), 105–132.
51.
Reilly, J. (2013). China’s economic statecraft: Turning wealth into power. Sydney: Lowy Institute for International Policy, Analysis.
52.
Roy, D. (2016). The United States and the South China Sea: Front line of hegemonic tension? In I.Storey & C.-Y.Lin (Eds), The South China Sea dispute: Navigating diplomatic and strategic tensions (pp. 228–246). Singapore: ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.
Sato, Y. (2016). Japan and the South China Sea dispute: A stakeholder’s perspective. In I.Storey & C.-Y.Lin (Eds), The South China Sea dispute: Navigating diplomatic and strategic tensions (pp. 272–290). Singapore: ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.
55.
Scott, D. (2013). India’s role in the South China Sea: Geopolitics and geo-economics in play. India Review, 12(2), 51–69.
56.
Simon, S. (2012). US-Southeast Asia relations: ASEAN Stumbles. Comparative Connections, 14(2), 49–60.
57.
Snidal, D. (1985). Coordination versus prisoners’ dilemma: Implications for international cooperation and regimes. American Political Science Review, 79(4), 923–942.
58.
Son, N.H. (2013). ASEAN-Japan strategic partnership in Southeast Asia: Maritime security and cooperation. In Japan Center for International Exchange (Ed.), Beyond 2015: ASEAN-Japan strategic partnership for democracy, peace, and prosperity in Southeast Asia (pp. 214–227). Tokyo: Japan Center for International Exchange.
Stein, A.A. (1993). Governments, economic interdependence, and international cooperation. In P.E.Tetlock, C.Tilly, R.Jervis, J.L.Husbands, & P.C.Stern (Eds), Behavior, society and international conflict (Vol. 3, pp. 241–324). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
61.
Storey, I. (2013). Japan’s maritime security interests in Southeast Asia and the South China Sea dispute. Political Science, 65(2), 135–156.
62.
Tan, S.S. (2015). Japan and multilateralism in Asia. In Japan Center for International Exchange (Ed.), Navigating change: ASEAN-Japan strategic partnership in East Asia and in global governance (pp. 60–82). Tokyo: Japan Center for International Exchange.
US-Japan joint statement: The United States and Japan: Shaping the future of the Asia-Pacific and beyond. (2014, April25). Retrieved 10 November 2016, from http://www.mofa.go.jp/na/na1/us/page24e_000045.html
Yahuda, M. (2013). China’s new assertiveness in the South China Sea. Journal of Contemporary China, 22(81), 446–459.
70.
Yanagi, H. (2014). After the closing of ASEAN-Japan commemorative summit and ASEAN-related summit meetings. A report at the 61st Policy Plenary Meeting. Tokyo: The Council on East Asia Community.
71.
Yoshimatsu, H. (2012). Economic interdependence and security tension: China’s rare earth policy. East Asian Policy, 4(3), 55–63.
72.
Yoshimatsu, H. (2015). The United States, China, and geopolitics in the Mekong region. Asian Affairs: An American Review, 42(4), 173–194.
73.
Zhao, H. (2013). The South China Sea dispute and China-ASEAN-relations. Asian Affairs, 44(1), 27–43.
