Looking for Consensus on the South China Sea

The South China Sea territorial dispute was again in the news with James Hookway’s April 4th article in The Wall Street Journal reporting “Asian Bloc Seeks Unity Over Sea Disputes.”

PHNOM PENH—Philippine President Benigno Aquino III Tuesday pushed other Southeast Asian nations meeting here in Cambodia to adopt a common stand on negotiating the flash point issue of territorial rights to the resource-rich South China Sea before bringing the region’s powerhouse, China, into the discussions.

The Philippines and other members of the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations are attempting to frame a regional, legally binding code of conduct to guide sovereignty claims in the waters, which are claimed in whole or in part by China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei.

The question is whether to allow China to participate early on in the discussions — or only after the other parties to the dispute are in agreement.

I suspect that, either way, China is going to be the elephant in the room. And what happens in the struggle over these territorial rights could have repercussions around the globe.

In the ebook technothriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS, Mollie Sanders gets the opportunity for an up-close-and-personal look at this hot spot. Read Mollie’s adventures now on Kindle.

Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the co-founder of the online marketing company Miller Mosaic LLC and author of fiction and nonfiction books/ebooks, including “TOP TIPS FOR HOW TO MARKET YOUR BOOK ON AMAZON AND FACEBOOK: Action Steps You Can Do Immediately Whether You Are Traditionally Published or Self-Published.” (Click here to check out TOP TIPS on Amazon.)

Visit her author site at www.PhyllisZimblerMiller.com and her author Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/phylliszimblermillerauthor