China Seminar | 9 October 2014

China, the 11 Nations of Southeast Asia, and the South China Sea: the Yin of Conflict and the Yang of Cooperation

James R. Corcoran

Dr. Jim Corcoran was attending conferences in Vietnam when the news broke about China’s placement of an oil rig just off the coast of Vietnam. His interaction with Vietnamese government officials, academe, the media, and the general public in Hanoi provided an on-the-spot view of the effects of the contest between Vietnam and the PRC. China’s claim over the sovereignty of the South China Sea places it in direct rivalry over access and resources with the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Land borders with Burma, Laos, and Vietnam further involve China with those nations. The PRC’s relations with the remaining four nations of Southeast Asia: Thailand, Singapore, Cambodia, and Timor-Leste rest primarily on shared finance, trade, and geo-political interests. How are these nations coping with China’s increasing assertiveness and what are the future prospects? Dr. Corcoran will provide up-to-date information and more.

Jim Corcoran received his Ph.D. in Modern Chinese History and an MA in Asian Studies from UHM. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and a retired U.S. Army Colonel, Dr. Corcoran is a professor in the Military Campus Program and also teaches international (Asian) studies at HPU. He has lived, studied, and served in China, Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, South Korea, Bangladesh, and Indonesia; and is a graduate of the U.S. Army War College, the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and the Defense Language Institute (Mandarin Chinese and Bahasa Indonesia). Over the years, he has researched and written extensively on Asian security issues, papers on China, Asia, and military history, and on issues involving security, strategy, and history of Asia relating to war, conflict resolution and diplomacy.