Open Access Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington
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Vietnam's ASEAN Chairmanship in Dispute Management of the South China Sea in 2010

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posted on 2021-11-14, 02:38 authored by Vu, Thi Minh Hang

This thesis examines the attempts of Vietnamese policy makers to manage the dispute with China on the South China Sea within the context of Vietnam’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2010. In particular, it examines the actions of Vietnamese policymakers in the preparing and conducting the 2010 ASEAN Defence Minister Meeting Plus and ASEAN Regional Forum. It asks whether and how Vietnamese policymakers have utilized the ASEAN chairmanship and its agenda-setting powers to put the South China Sea issue and the Chinese in the spotlight at these meetings. It argues that Vietnamese policymakers sought to constrain Chinese actions in the South China Sea by raising international publicity on the issue. The thesis considers the strategic measures taken by Vietnamese policy makers in managing the South China Sea conflict from the perspective of two schools of thought in international relations: realism and constructivism. While realists and neo-realists suggest that the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must, constructivists argue that policy makers are social actors, who are concerned with the respect of others. Constructivist approaches offer a more convincing way to explain how and why Vietnam, a weaker state might try to constrain China, a much stronger state, on issues of sovereignty in the South China Sea. Finally, the thesis concludes that, despite several failures, Vietnamese policy makers were able to make progress in managing this conflict by using international publicity to constrain the Chinese from acting unilaterally.

History

Copyright Date

2013-01-01

Date of Award

2014-01-01

Publisher

Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington

Rights License

Author Retains Copyright

Degree Discipline

International Relations

Degree Grantor

Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington

Degree Level

Masters

Degree Name

Master of International Relations

ANZSRC Type Of Activity code

940304 Understanding International Relations

Victoria University of Wellington Item Type

Awarded Research Masters Thesis

Language

en_NZ

Victoria University of Wellington School

School of History, Philosophy, Political Science and International Relations

Advisors

Leslie, John