CHINA'S POSITIONS AND MOTIVATIONS IN THE NEGOTIATION OF SOUTH CHINA SEA CODE OF CONDUCT

Abstract

The paper analyzes various aspects related to China's positions and motivations when participating in the process of negotiating the code of conduct in the South China Sea code of conduct from the 1990s to the present. In the article, these motivation are identified as follows: (i) China wants to 'buy time' to focus on other long-term strategies in the South China Sea; (ii) China wants to employ the COC negotiation to prevent the participation of third parties in the South China Sea; (iii) China wants to use the COC to incorporate terms in its favor; (iv) The COC negotiation is an opportunity for China to test ASEAN's solidarity and collective strength; (v) China wants to use the COC to distract the international community's attention from the 2016 Award of the Arbitral Tribunal. In the conclusion, the paper provides some recommendations for ASEAN to deal with China in the negotiation of South China Sea COC.