Peace, Cooperation and Maritime Security Initiatives in the East Asian Seas: a Study of the Proposals’ Content, Progress and Achievements

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to examine peace, cooperation, and maritime security initiatives proposed by China, Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, and the United States during the period of time between 2006 and 2015. It consists of seven parts. Following introductory remarks, part II discusses rising concerns about maritime disputes in international relations. Part III describes the obligations of the parties to maritime disputes to cooperate and settle their differences by peaceful means in accordance with international law, particularly the Charter of the United Nations and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (“UNCLOS”). Part IV addresses peaceful means for resolving maritime disputes. In Part V, rising tensions in the East and South China Seas are briefly reviewed. Part VI examines the contents of these peace, cooperation and security initiatives that were proposed by China, Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan and the United States during the period of time between 2006 and 2015. The progress, achievements and challenges lying ahead of these initiatives are analyzed in Part VII. This article ends with brief concluding remarks in Part VIII.