SINO-US RIVALRY IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA: IMPACTS AND CONSEQUENCES ON THE REGION, RESEMBLING: A NEW COLD WAR

Abstract

Throughout the years, the Sino-US relationship has seen both numerous successes and setbacks. Both of them are now battling to prove the legitimacy of their authority and power, while simultaneously challenging and sometimes defying one another. Following the end of the Cold War, policymakers in the US and western scholars began debating the "End of History" and extolling the virtues of the "liberal democratic order." However, the revival of Chinese diplomacy revived fresh concerns about the coming of a New Cold War, this time involving the Cold War allies. This essay attempts to examine the Sino-US Cold War, notably in the South China Sea, which is located in the middle of the Indo-Pacific. Both China and the United States are using the hotly contested South China Sea as a testing ground. This study also focuses on the applicability of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and its claimed infringement by China. Forging a corporate alliance with the US and defying the US in the South China Sea will be much more difficult for China. This qualitative study investigates the beginning of the New Cold War and how it may develop into an endless struggle for dominance and power.