Focuses on contemporary maritime security in the South China Sea and its connected sea area, the Straits of Malacca and Singapore. This book identifies and examines selected security issues concerning the safety of navigation, crackdown on transnational crimes including sea piracy and maritime terrorism, and conflict prevention and resolution.

Part I Introduction; Chapter 1 Maritime Security in the South China Sea: Cooperation and Implications, Wu Shicun, Zou Keyuan; Part II Securing Navigation in the South China Sea; Chapter 2 Good Order at Sea in the South China Sea, Sam Bateman; Chapter 3 Maritime Trade Development in Asia: A Need for Regional Maritime Security Cooperation in the South China Sea, Hong Nong; Chapter 4 Maritime Security cooperation in the South China Sea Region 1 The views expressed in this study are solely those of the author as a private individual. This study is based only on publicly available sources and does not represent the official position or analysis of the U.S. Navy or any other organization of the U.S. Government., Andrew S. Erickson; Chapter 5 Myth and Reality: The Rise and Fall of Contemporary Maritime Piracy in the South China Sea, Xu Ke; Chapter 6 Commentary: A Regional Perspective on South China Sea Passage Security, Wu Shicun; Part III Regional Cooperation Combating Maritime Terrorism and Piracy; Chapter 7 Regional Maritime Security Initiative (RMSI) and Enhancing Security in the Straits of Malacca: Littoral States’ and Regional Responses, Yann-huei Song; Chapter 8 Crackdown on Piracy in Southeast Asian Seas: Need a More Effective Legal Regime?, Zou Keyuan; Chapter 9 Southeast Asian SLOC Security, Joshua H. Ho; Chapter 10 The United States Response to Maritime Terrorism, Kristen G. Juras; Chapter 11 Commentary: Enhancing Sino–U.S. Maritime Cooperation for Regional Security, BAO Hongjun, ZHU Huayou; Part IV Environmental Security and Maritime Rescue; Chapter 12 The Development of Oil Spill Preparedness and Response in China, Xu Shiming; Chapter 13 Regional Cooperation for Marine Pollution Contingency Response in the South China Sea, Zhang Xiangjun; Chapter 14 International Submarine Rescue: A Constructive Role for China 1 The opinions expressed in this chapter are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of the United States Government or United States Navy. This chapter draws extensively from research that was first published in Asia Policy, 5 (January 2008), pp. 167–83., Lyle J. Goldstein, William S. Murray; Chapter 15 Commentary: Search and Rescue in South China Sea and Regional cooperation, Zhang Jie;

'...expands the discussion of maritime security in the South China Sea beyond the traditional confines of the conflict over the Spratlys to include the broader regional security concerns of, amongst other things, marine environmental pollution, piracy and commercial traffic. A notable aspect is the large number of authors from China, thus providing a perspective not regularly available in English.' Ted L. McDorman, University of Victoria, Canada and editor, Ocean Development and International Law '... the book succeeds in arguing that in order to best understand the strategic importance of the Sea it is necessary to look beyond state policy and assess the roles of local "spoilers" such as pirates as well as the growing number of official and unofficial international agreements which have facilitated communication and more effective policy-making in assuring the security of the waterway.' The Journal of China Quarterly 'This book provides an introduction to and an interesting discussion of several complex issues. It is also evidence of the emergence of a new breed of Chinese scholars, willing to move away from the official Chinese position and indeed to subject it to critical assessment. It shows the value of bringing a wide range of scholarly work together, and the parallel at an academic level of the increased international cooperation at the governmental level on the South China Sea issues.' Asian Affairs