In light of China’s deployment of a mega oilrig in waters that Vietnam considers part of its Exclusive Economic Zone, Carlyle A. Thayer analyses what amounts to an unexpected provocation of Vietnam by China.

Following this year’s Shangri-la Dialogue, Alessio Patalano examines U.S. and Japanese tensions with China, provides insight into China’s current disputes in the East and South China Seas, and recommends a policy of engagement to create a more effective security environment in East Asia.

China supports international norms and abides by international law; however, it is also justified in advancing legitimate sovereign interests. As in the case of the US during the Cold War, when armed forces were deployed on Taiwan or when the US instituted an ADIZ, it is appropriate for China to promote international law unless sovereign interests are at stake.

As John Ciorciari and Jessica Chen Weiss explain, relations between China and Vietnam have plummeted to their lowest point since the end of the Cold War following a row over disputed territory in the South China Sea.

China has never regarded the South China Sea in its totality as China's territorial waters. Nor will China seek to turn the South China Sea into a "Chinese lake", writes Wu Shicun.

While nations in the international community, especially Japan, Australia, and the United States, rushed to provide generous relief aid to the Philippines in the aftermath of devastating Typhoon Haiyan, China’s response has been noticeably different.

In spite of the progress made at this week’s APEC and ASEAN meetings in Bali and Brunei respectively, there are still concerns that President Obama’s absence reduced U.S. influence in the region. Stephen Harner examines these developments and the potential for a “win-win” relationship between the US and China.

The dispute over territory in the South China Sea has become a flashpoint for Asian regional politics. China’s policy has used both big and small-stick diplomacy to assert its claim to the region. In doing so, it has formed a new normality for the region.

Disputes over territorial sovereignty are among the thorniest of all diplomatic disagreements. While the sovereignty disputes in the South and East China Seas involve seemingly non-negotiable claims, the resources surrounding the islands can nevertheless be shared, nurturing habits of closer regional cooperation in the process.

In the South China Sea it is essential to avoid future confrontation, not only for bilateral relations but also for the stability in the region. It is also necessary to move both bilateral and regional conflict management process forward.