Grandview Institution released a joint research report ‘Competition and Risk Reduction on the South China Sea: Views from China and the United States’

    Grandview Institution and the U.S.-Asia Forum organised an online launch event on the morning of 11 June to release their jointly authored research report ‘Competition and Risk Reduction on the South China Sea: Views from China and the United States’.

    Currently, the South China Sea issue has become a key frontline in China-U.S. maritime strategic interactions, increasingly attracting policy attention and becoming a focal point of contention between the two sides. The divergent positions of China and the United States on the South China Sea exhibit significant structural characteristics, encompassing multiple dimensions such as sovereignty perceptions, interpretations of international law, regional order-shaping, and maritime strategic interests. These divergences reflect the deep-seated strategic contradictions between the two countries while also leaving space for certain degrees of cooperation and risk management.

    Against this background, Grandview Institution and experts from the U.S. Pacific Forum jointly initiated and authored this research report, aiming to systematically analyse the differing positions, policy logics, and competitive dynamics between China and the United States on the South China Sea issue from the respective perspectives of scholars from both countries. By presenting parallel analyses and objective comparisons, the report clarifies the differences between the two countries in terms of strategic considerations, legal interpretations, and policy priorities, while identifying potential areas of consensus and proposing feasible pathways to mitigate risks and manage competition.

    The structure of this report reflects its core objective: to conduct comparative research that balance both balance and analytical depth. The research findings reveal a complex, multi-layered competitive landscape encompassing diplomatic, legal, military, and ideological dimensions, but this competition is not inevitably headed toward conflict.

    It is important to note that this report was written in accordance with the principles of respecting facts and rational analysis, and does not imply that Chinese and American scholars fully agree with each other's views or positions. The content presented in this report represents the independent analysis and research judgments of each author and does not constitute any form of joint position statement. This report helps us gain a clearer understanding of the complexity of the South China Sea situation and the underlying motivations behind China and the United States' policy actions in the region, thereby laying the groundwork for future efforts to explore constructive ways to manage competition, prevent conflict, and achieve healthy competition in the South China Sea.

    The report's authors include Liu Xiaobo, Director of the Marine Research Centre at Grandview Institution; Yi Wushuang, Researcher at Grandview Institution; Jeffrey Ordaniel, Assistant Professor of International Security Studies at Tokyo International University; and Thomas J. Shattuck, Senior Project Manager at the Perry World House at the University of Pennsylvania. The launch was also attended by Carl Baker, Executive Director of the Pacific Forum; Zhou Bo, Researcher at the Centre for Strategic and Security Studies at Tsinghua University; Harrison Prétat, Deputy Director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS); and Collin Koh, Senior Researcher at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) at Nanyang Technological University. Additionally, several domestic and international media journalists were present.

    The Chinese and English versions of the report, ‘Competition and Risk Reduction on the South China Sea: Views from China and the United States,’ will be available for download on the Grandview Institution website in the future.