Deciphering the South China Sea Leviathan – A Reflexive Response
Tuesday, July 30, 2024
11:15 – 13:00 (GMT+7)
Paper Abstract: This essay is a reflexive rumination on how an educator can approach one of the most contentious geopolitical issues in Asia – the South China Sea. The approach is to recognize a set of “inherently asymmetric” relationship between China and the smaller Asian countries from a historical perspective. Drawing upon the resources from my Modern China and East Asia Nexus undergraduate electives courses, we start off with the early modern period from which there are documentary records of Ming China’s assertion of power in its contacts with its East Asia and Southeast Asian nations. We then examine the longue durée of the 20th century, with considerations for the Japanese imperium interregnum, which actually acts as a foil for our discussion about Chinese power in this region. Finally, we will consider contemporary Chinese nationalism, and Chinese strategies for the South China Sea. Notwithstanding the focus on China, this reflexion will also delve into the implications for Singapore.
Presenter(s)
YP
Yang Huei Pang
Singapore University of Technology and Design, Singapore