Южно-китайское море в противостоянии КНР и США в Азии

Статья посвящена исследованию причин, по которым Южно-Китайское море (ЮКМ) стало одним из ключевых регионов противостояния КНР и США, а также выявлению особенностей их политики в регионе на современном этапе. Авторы анализируют истоки конфликта и показывают расстановку сил в ЮКМ на текущий момент. Исследователи приходят к выводу, что главная задача КНР на сегодняшний день - утвердить своё влияние в ЮКМ и вынудить другие государства региона согласиться с китайским присутствием на островах, ключевая цель США - сдержать рост Китая и не позволить ему закрепиться в Тихом океане.

South China Sea is a negligible sea that is a part of the Pacific Ocean. There are both island and maritime claims among several states of the region, such as China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia. In this regard, the tensions arise primarily between China and the countries pertaining to the disputed territories. On the other hand, as most of the states concerned are members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) the conflict of interests has implications for China-ASEAN relations. However, the key rivals contesting each other's presence in South China Sea are the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the United States of America (USA). The two actors provide different reasoning for their strategies in the region: while the Chinese generally apply to historical arguments to confirm their claims, Americans tend to advance international law and the rules-based order, thus delegitimizing China's steps towards the islands. Given that competition between Beijing and Washington has far- reaching consequences for the entire Asia-Pacific, or even larger Indo-Pacific region, their relations in South China Sea require increasingly closer examination as they lie in the turf war domain. As such, the paper explores territorial disputes by studying China's position as well as analyzing the US attempts to counter Chinese expansionism which results in weakening the already strained American leadership in Asia. The authors conclude that the main goal of the Chinese government today is to anchor its authority in South China Sea by constraining other countries to concede, whereas the US seeks to undermine the PRC efforts through deterrence and pressure.