The Impacts of the U.S.–China Rivalry on the Southeast Asian States’ Maritime Defence Strategies

Abstract

The changes of the Asian balance of power and the U.S.–China great-power competition strongly affect  the Southeast Asian security architecture as well.  Various countries of the region have different  answers for this challenge, although they all attach  great importance to the security policy cooperation  of the ASEAN. This paper focuses on the South China  Sea, as the primary zone of the Chinese maritime  expansion. Along with the two leading global powers’ regional aspirations, it explains the naval  modernisation and strategic reflections of Vietnam,  Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines in this context. Finally, taking into account the strengths and weaknesses of the policies of the Southeast  Asian countries examined, the paper tries to predict  the probable effectiveness of them.