China and the South China Sea Dialogues

Lee provides an in-depth analysis of China's diplomatic strategy in bilateral and multilateral negotiations on the South China Sea. Based on both documentary research and the personal experiences of the author at conferences and meetings on the issue, Lee highlights the approach adopted by China in its dealings with other parties to the dispute. Professor Lee also examines the state of cross-strait dialogues between Taiwan and China on the South China Sea.As Professor Lee makes clear, while China has been consistent in stating that its claims over the South China Sea are indisputable, Beijing is still willing to talk about the conflicts with the parties involved. While China prefers to conduct bilateral discussions, it has not ruled out multilateral talks and cooperation in the South China Sea. However, there has been limited progress in these talks, especially those conducted at multilateral meetings. As most of the claimants are from ASEAN, the book also examines Sino-ASEAN relations in general and explores how that would affect China's conduct in South China Sea discussions. An important study for scholars, and policy makers involved in security issues in the Asia Pacific.

?China and the South Sea Dialogues provides a valuable contribution to our understanding of Chinese foreign policy towards Southeast Asia in the 1990s as well as its participation in multilateral....Lee's book should become required reading for anyone seeking to understand the potential for a peaceful resolution to the Spratly Islands dispute.?-H-Net Book Review, ?Lee Lai To presents a detailed and balanced analysis of the territorial and maritime disputes involving the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the South China Sea, including the Spratlys....A clear and thorough assessment, this work is arguable the most detailed and comprehensive study on on the issue published to date and, as such, it is likely to become the standard work on the diplomatic aspects of the South China Sea disputes....Lee's analysis is a valuable contribution to an understanding of both the formal and for scholars and policy-makers involved in security issues in the Asia-Pacific region.?-Contemporary Southeast Asia: A Journal of International and Strategic Affairs, ?This book is an important resource for specialists interested in China's relations with Southeast Asian states over the disputed territorial issues in the South China Sea during the 1990s. It is written smoothly and dispassionately by a prominent scholar.?-Pacific Affairs: Winter 2000, "China and the South Sea Dialogues provides a valuable contribution to our understanding of Chinese foreign policy towards Southeast Asia in the 1990s as well as its participation in multilateral....Lee's book should become required reading for anyone seeking to understand the potential for a peaceful resolution to the Spratly Islands dispute."-H-Net Book Review, "This book is an important resource for specialists interested in China's relations with Southeast Asian states over the disputed territorial issues in the South China Sea during the 1990s. It is written smoothly and dispassionately by a prominent scholar."-Pacific Affairs: Winter 2000

LEE LAI TO, former Director of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, is Associate Professor of Political Science at the National University of Singapore. He is the author or editor of eight books, including Trade Unions in China, The Reunification of China: PRC-Taiwan Relations in Flux, and ASEAN in the Post-Cold War Era.