An analysis of the current situation and its possible evolution under the Biden administration suggests that the U.S. will attempt to consolidate its influence over littoral states and attempt to crash the China-led COC negotiations.

When Joe Biden moves into the White House, his geopolitical signals will be closely watched by China, whose rise in the western Pacific is a historical necessity. Yet even a softer U.S. will try to undermine it, especially with nations that nurse maritime disputes.

Over a century ago, tangled alliances in Europe were tested with the onset of the First World War. Today, the converging interests of Asia’s middle powers, U.S. regional allies, and China in the South China Sea threaten to provide the world a redux.

Recently, A Legal Critique of the Award of the Arbitral Tribunal in the Matter of the South China Sea Arbitration (hereinafter referred to as the Critique) was jointly completed by National Institute for South China Sea Studies (NISCSS) and FIETTA LLP.

The incoming U.S. administration’s policy positions will likely include moving quickly to restore America’s influence in the region. It will seek an edge over China at every opportunity and try to draw ASEAN closer.

As US and China-based cloud computing enterprises globalize, some question whether dual-use of cloud technologies plays a role in advancing digital geopolitical interests.

The U.S. has placed the other members of the group in a disadvantageous position, expecting each of them to confront China. Instead, what they will discover is that they are missing out on the benefits China offers.

What message was conveyed? Nobody is quite sure. While the top American diplomat’s visit to Hanoi will surely affect relations with the U.S., Vietnam doesn’t want to alienate China.

It’s true that the U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy has brought certain pressures and challenges to China, but these are manageable, given the thinning resources of the United States and the ability of Chinese diplomacy to adapt.

Japan’s Prime Minister hosted a Quadrilateral Security Dialogue that pinpointed the rise of China and the disputes in the South China Sea a focal point.