I: Introduction; 1: South China Sea Issues in European and American Perspectives: An Introduction; II: General Assessment of South China Sea Issues; 2: Regional Maritime Cooperation in the South China Sea: COBSEA and PEMSEA; 3: China-ASEAN and the South China Sea: Chinese Assertiveness and Southeast Asian Responses; III: Major Legal Issues in the South China Sea; 4: An Analysis of China's Claim to Historic Rights in the South China Sea; 5: Possibility of US Accession to the LOS Convention and its Potential Impact on State Practices and Maritime Claims in the South China Sea; 6: Maritime Boundary Delimitation, Excessive Claims and Effective Regime Building in the South China Sea; 7: Bringing the South Pole to the South China Sea: Towards the Establishment of an International Regime for Peace and Security; 8: Bringing the North Pole to the South China Sea: Dots and Lines on Maps and their Explanation; IV: Major Policy Issues in the South China Sea; 9: Close Encounters of the Maritime Kind: Freedom of Navigation and its Impact on the South China Sea Problem; 10: Jockeying for Position in the South China Sea: Cooperative Strategy or Managed Conflict?; 11: Could China and Vietnam Resolve the Conflicts in the South China Sea?; 12: The South China Sea: A Piece in the Global Naval Encirclement Strategy of Taiwan by Mainland China; V: Taiwan's Participation in the South China Sea Dialogue Process; 13: Confidence-Building Measures in the South China Sea and Implications for US–Taiwan–China Relations; 14: The South China Sea Workshop Process and the Need for Taiwan's Continuing Involvement in Regional Ocean Initiatives; VI: Conclusion; 15: Conclusions and Further Reflections

’This collection is an important addition to the literature as it concisely covers the central features of the dispute; regime building and regional cooperation; the relationship dynamics of the relevant States; the strategic interests both within and beyond the South China Sea; and the relevance of models from other regions.’ Ted L. McDorman, University of Victoria, Canada ’This book successfully meets its objective of examining the South China Sea dispute from the legal and political perspectives and from the viewpoints of American and European experts who have been studying the South China Sea issues for years. The various papers present new and insightful proposals for peacefully managing those disputes worthy of serious consideration by all.’ J. Ashley Roach, Captain, Judge Advocate General’s Corps, US Navy (retired), Office of the Legal Adviser, US Department of State (retired) '... the book provides a good coverage and mix of the issues at hand ... the history of the South China Sea is still being written, and this book forms a valuable part of the ongoing narrative by providing glimpses of the historical perspective of the dispute but more importantly current events and players that will shape the future of the South China Sea.' The International Journal of Maritime History