Name: Orlino, Joshua S.

Course: BS Architecture
Section: ARC 211 Day / Time: October 19,2023

The South China Sea dispute has been one of the most contested issues in the past decades.
The territory sits in the middle of the Southeast Asian region with Philippines, Vietnam,
Malaysia, Indonesia as major claimant states. Discuss the South China Sea Dispute and
identify the role of ASEAN in this issue. Do you think that ASEAN is an effective organization
in dealing with the tension between the claimant states particularly in talking with China?
How so? Can you provide instances where ASEAN made an action or an effort to bridge
diplomacy?

- The South China Sea dispute has been an ongoing problem for both the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China. It involves territorial claims in certain parts
of the West Philippine Sea that includes the Spratly Islands. The Philippine Government
claims that certain parts of the West Philippine Sea are under the country’s exclusive
economic zone (EEZ) while China on the other hand claims that it is under the South
China Sea. In my own opinion, this ongoing dispute has been nothing more than an
exaggeration of power from China. The West Philippine Sea is a military advantage for
China and other countries as well. It offers a tactical advantage over its space that is why
it is crucial for China to be able to take control over this territory. The role of ASEAN in
this dispute has been a series of ongoing problems that overtime got complex. The role
of ASEAN has been subjected to the topic of debate whether it was effective in doing its
job regarding the dispute between ASEAN and China. The Code of Conduct is one
example of the contributions of ASEAN regarding the issue. According to Evan
Laksmana’s Article in IISS, it is an attempt at a peaceful resolution between parties that
allows space for countries that are involved and offers a negotiation of its maritime
boundaries. However, the code of conduct has allowed China to build military
infrastructures and has allowed to control the waters and its surrounding territory.
While it offers a peaceful resolution to both parties, it is however ineffective in
preventing the control of China over the territory. Thus, the code of conduct should be
up for reassessment regarding its effectiveness in solving the dispute between ASEAN
and China. In conclusion, ASEAN may have been ineffective regarding the current issue,
but I do believe it has contributed effectively to preventing further escalation of the
situation and has allowed to create a solution that may be not the best but is a small
step to achieving that goal.