The South China Sea dispute has been one of the most contested issues in the past

decades. The territory sits in the middle of the Southeast Asian region with
Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia as major claimant states. Discuss the
South China Sea Dispute and identify the role of ASEAN in this issue. Do you think
that ASEA is an effective organization in dealing with the tension between the
claimant states particularly in talking with China? How so? Can you provide
instances where ASEAN made an action or an effort to bridge diplomacy?

The dispute has been one of the most contested issues in the past decades. The
reason for the dispute is the presence of many natural resources in the area including
fisheries, oil, and gas reserves. claimant states are not in agreement as to who has the
sovereign rights over the territory. Amidst the rising tension, ASEAN has attempted to play
the role of a mediator. In this essay, we will discuss the South China Sea dispute and
examine the role of ASEAN in this issue. We will also assess whether ASEAN is an
effective organization in dealing with the tension between the claimant states and China.

The South China Sea is one of the busiest shipping routes in the world. It is also a
rich source of natural resources including fisheries, oil, and gas reserves. The dispute over
the South China Sea territory began in the early 1970s when China, Vietnam, and the
Philippines started to claim sovereignty over the islands in the territory. The dispute
escalated in the 1990s when China began to build military facilities in the disputed territory.
In 2016, an international tribunal ruled that China did not have historical claims over the
South China Sea. However, China has refused to recognize the tribunal's ruling.

The claimants in the South China Sea dispute are Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia,
Indonesia, and China. The Asian giant, China, is the most assertive claimant state. China
claims almost the entire South China Sea territory based on its "nine-dash line" map. The
nine-dash line is a map that was created by the Chinese government in the 1940s. Vietnam
also has claims over the Spratly and Paracel Islands. The Philippines has claims over the
Scarborough Shoal and the Kalayaan Island Group. Indonesia does not have any claims
over the disputed territory but it considers the South China Sea as its territory.

ASEAN has been attempting to mediate the dispute since the 1990s. ASEAN is a
regional organization that consists of 10 Southeast Asian countries. The organization has
played a significant role in promoting peace and stability in the region. In July 2016, ASEAN
and China reached an agreement on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea. The
agreement is seen as a breakthrough in the efforts to resolve the dispute. However, it is still
unclear how the agreement will be implemented.

There are many reasons why the South China Sea dispute has not been resolved. One of
the main reasons is the lack of trust between the claimant states. The claimant states are
also not in agreement as to what the final outcome of the dispute should be. For example,
the Philippines wants China to respect the ruling of the international tribunal, while Vietnam
wants China to withdraw its military forces from the disputed territory.

The role of ASEAN in the South China Sea dispute has been significant. ASEAN has
been able to bring the claimant states to the negotiating table and has played a key role in
the negotiations. However, ASEAN has not been able to resolve the dispute. The failure of
ASEAN to resolve the dispute is due to the lack of trust between the claimant states and the
different interests of the claimant states.