博士 / 國立中興大學 / 國際政治研究所 / 102 / South China Sea sovereignty disputes are one of the most important security issues in the Asia Pacific region. Due to the complex relationships between the states involved, however, an effective solution has been impossible since a long time ago. The return of the United States to the Asia Pacific region and its reinforced involvement in local disputes over the past few years have gradually led to its increased interaction and confrontation with China, one of the parties to the disputes. To explore the competitions between the US and China in the South China Sea disputes, this thesis follows the theoretical model of realism and "balancing" theory. The “soft balancing” theory is adopted as the research approach in this study to analyze the motivations for striking a balance between the two states in current South China Sea disputes and examine the various kinds of "soft balancing" actions taken by the two states against each other. This thesis firstly explores the significance of “soft balancing” theory, and clarify the motives and manipulation patterns when states apply “soft balancing” in international politics. Secondly, the interactions between the US and China in the South China Sea will be explored at the strategic level, followed by the descriptions of their motivations and disputes. Finally, the various "soft balancing" actions taken by the US and China are examined and evaluated according to their utilities and traits. This research reveals that the South China Sea and local sovereignty disputes are highly valuable in the strategic planning of both the US and China. Nevertheless, the contradictory positions of the two states have remained. In light of their extensive common and conflicting interests, along with the potential perceptions of threats, nevertheless, both the US and China tend to apply relatively "mild" or "indirect" practices to restrict each other’s behaviors. At the implementation level, although the “soft balancing” strategies adopted by the US and China vary due to their respective conditions and abilities, both sides' limited strategic interactions consistently cover in such fields as diplomacy, military, multilateral mechanisms, so as to to deter or weaken the other's previleges while avoiding head on confrontations simultaneously.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TW/102NCHU0692004 |
| Date | January 2014 |
| Creators | Kai-Ming Chang, 張凱銘 |
| Contributors | 蔡明彥 |
| Source Sets | National Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations in Taiwan |
| Language | zh-TW |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | 學位論文 ; thesis |
| Format | 475 |
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