Coastal States' Deterrence Against Chinese Power in the South China Sea

Dorj, Hamid

doi:10.22034/nrpg.2026.2081629.1071

Coastal States' Deterrence Against Chinese Power in the South China Sea

Document Type : Original Article

Author

hamid dorj

PhD student in International Relations, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran.

10.22034/nrpg.2026.2081629.1071

Abstract

China has important strategic interests in the South China Sea. This has led Beijing not only to build naval bases and modernize its military forces, but also to expand its sphere of influence in the South China Sea and surrounding waters. China’s assertive behavior and militarization of the South China Sea waters pose a strategic threat to coastal states and the United States, which has prompted these states and the United States to respond by reducing Beijing’s power in East Asia. The main question of the present research is presented as follows: What strategy are coastal states pursuing to deter China’s increasing power in the South China Sea? The hypothesis of the article is that since China has claims of ownership and exclusive sovereignty over resources in the South China Sea, the country has, with the aim of protecting its national interests, undertaken the construction of artificial islands and sought to equip these islands with missile depots and silos, which, in addition to increasing Beijing's regional power and its control and sovereignty over more waters, is considered a strategic threat to coastal countries and the United States. Meanwhile, China's neighboring countries, in their opposition and strong reaction to the militarization of the South China Sea waters, have called for a broader presence of Washington in the region to prevent Beijing's increase in power and rebalance its power in East Asia. The results of this research show that, given that China has important and strategic interests in the South China Sea, this country has resorted to creating artificial islands and military bases in this region in order to protect its interests. These actions of China are considered a strategic threat to coastal countries and the United States. Therefore, by expanding its presence in the region and establishing relations with its allies, the United States has sought to prevent the power equations from changing in favor of China in East Asia, which could lead to a decrease in Beijing's power and isolation in the region. The descriptive-analytical method was used to analyze the research data. The data and information were collected through library sources and internet.

Keywords

China

South China Sea

Security

Deterrence

Defensive Realism

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