China's maritime militia in the South China Sea Analyses of the 2014 Vietnamese and 2021 Filipino incidents under the neorealist scope

Details

Supervisors

Atanassova, Elena

Faculty

Faculté des sciences économiques, sociales, politiques et de communication

Degree label

Master [120] en sciences politiques, orientation relations internationales, à finalité spécialisée: diplomatie et résolution des conflits

Abstract

For the last decade the South China Sea has seen a growing number of maritime militia vessels used by China to defend their territorial claims, as part of the ongoing hybrid warfare in the region. This paper intends to provide insights into this new way to conduct wars and the new actors that came into play compared to traditional warfare. This analysis is performed through the prism of neorealism and its two subbranches, offensive and defensive. The evolution of China's capabilities and goals, as well as the global context of the South China Sea are addressed. The events of 2014 concerning Vietnam in the Paracel Islands and the events of 2021 in the Spratly Islands claimed by the Philippines serve as a basis to analyze the security dilemma that China has triggered in the region, and the shift in the balance and distribution of power in which the maritime militia presence and actions played a vital role. The offensive hypothesis allows to shed a new light regarding China’s behaviour in the South China Sea and could provide keys to understand what the future holds for that region.