ABSTRACT
The South China Sea has long been regarded as a major source of tension and instability in East Asia. Managing the risk of possible conflict over disputed claims in the South China Sea has been a significant challenge for regional relations. This challenge is now being met, largely through diplomatic consultations between the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China.1 In particular, considerable effort has been expended over the past decade or so in building a cooperative management regime for the South China Sea that helps to defuse the potential for conflict that has existed in that sea.
