Page 160 - 《国际安全研究》2021年第3期

Journal of International Security Studies
“sovereignty” over the islands and reefs in the South China Sea occupied by the
Philippines, making a request for applying The UN Convention on the Law of the
Sea to dispute settlement in the South China Sea, insisting on the South China Sea
arbitration award, etc. Consensus has also been achieved among political groups that
the South China Sea issue should be resolved through peaceful means owing to such
factors as a deficiency of hard power, Washington’s uncertain security commitment,
China’s self-restraint and peaceful stance on the South China Sea issue and the
public sentiment of the Philippines. Apart from the divergences arising from
different understandings of the employment of tactics and means, differences among
Philippine political groups over the South China Sea issue are mainly reflected in
different voices regarding whether or not to accept the Philippines-US alliance and
bilateral military agreements. The underlying cause stems from the contradiction
between the anti-US nationalism demanding independence and the Philippines’
national security needs. The Philippines may continue its efforts to launch “soft”
protests against China on the pretext of the South China Sea arbitration award. The
odds are high that the military and security cooperation between the Philippines and
US may still be strengthened. The Philippine-China bilateral negotiations and joint
development agreements on the South China Sea issue may be affected by the
Philippines’ future domestic politics.
[Keywords] the Philippines, political groups, South China Sea issue, the South
China Sea arbitration, anti-US nationalism, the Philippines-US alliance
[Author] YANG Chao, Ph.D. and Associate Researcher, Institute of Southeast Asian
Studies, Guangxi Academy of Social Sciences (Nanning, 530022).

78 Indonesia’s Geo-maritime Security Thinking and Logic of
Cooperation

XUE Song
[Abstract] After Indonesia gained independence, perceptions of its geographical
features have been shaping its relationship with the sea. Once regarded as “a source
of threat”, the sea is now considered by Indonesia “a source of threat and order”. In
the process of reorienting its perceptions, Indonesia has developed a unique
maritime security mindset and logic relating to maritime security cooperation. First,
Indonesia’s relatively isolated location has provided it with a stable external security
environment, while its main islands, separated by the sea, have made local
centrifugal tendencies a major security concern. All of these have shaped its strategic
preference for land over sea and resulted in the backward development of maritime
security. Today, the central government of Indonesia has already taken a firm grip on
local governments, which allows the Indonesian government to give more priority to
consolidating Indonesia’s maritime sovereignty and rights as well as highlighting
practical cooperation in maritime law enforcement. Second, threats to Indonesia’s
maritime security mainly come from the waters bordering with other states (the
Strait of Malacca and the Sulu-Sulawesi Sea). In response to cross-border maritime

· 158 ·