ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the origins and main characteristics of the US rebalancing to Asia before describing the traditional American position on the sovereignty disputes in the South China Sea. The South China Sea is at the centre of competing territorial, economic and strategic interests. Despite its geographic distance, the United States is central to Asian security. Washington can either mitigate or heighten existing tensions through its presence and network of bilateral alliances and security cooperation in the region. Initial statements from the newly elected US President Barack Obama administration suggested a renewed US interest in Asia and an American willingness to move beyond the issue of terrorism. The terrorist attacks on September 2001, the United States had been focused on fighting terrorism and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The only power capable of countering rising Chinese naval capabilities in the South China Sea has been the United States, particularly through its Seventh Fleet.
