Ghulam Murtaza Mir
Mr Ghulam Murtaza Mir is a student of MPhil in International Relations at the National Defence University, Islamabad.
DOI: http://DOI Number
Keywords: Asia Pacific Region, geopolitical competition, South China Sea, US-China, maritime conflict, Pacific Island Countries
Abstract
The Asia Pacific Region particularly the South China Sea has become an arena of geopolitical competition between China and the United States. The US sees China as a threat to its unipolar supremacy in a globalised world. China maintains that its foreign policy is of peaceful coexistence with the rest of the world. The unipolar world is in transition into a multipolar one with the rise of geopolitical, geostrategic, and geoeconomic competition between great powers such as China, Russia, and the United States. The South China Sea has become a political arena between the US and China which has led to the development of geopolitical alliances such as the Quad, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and the SCO in the Asia Pacific region. Pacific Island Countries are divided over the US[1]China maritime territorial conflict in the South China Sea. The diplomatic manoeuvres of China and the US in the South China Sea focus on sabotaging the diplomatic ties of each other with the Pacific Island Countries. This can result in further escalation of tensions in the Asia Pacific. This paper presents an overview of the geopolitical rivalry in the Asia Pacific region by explaining the foreign policy strategies of both China and the US, i.e., explaining their diplomatic relations with the Pacific Island Countries, emphasising their maritime territorial claims and highlighting their strategic developments in the Asia Pacific region.
First Published
September 25, 2021
How to Cite
Ghulam Murtaza Khan, “China-US Geopolitical Competition in the Asia-Pacific,” Regional Studies 39, no.3 (Autumn 2021): 108-136, https://regionalstudies.com.pk/wp/article/china-us-geopolitical-competition-in-the-asia-pacific/
Issue
Volume 39, Issue 3