"The South China Sea, a major strategic waterway for trade to Japan and Korea, has been the focus of a maritime dispute for six decades, with competing claims from China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia and Brunei. Recently China has become more assertive in pressing its claims - harassing Vietnamese and Philippine fishing boats, publicising its claims more prominently, and threatening to board ships around the islands claimed by China. All of this is unsettling, with the United States supporting the Philippines, and developing security ties with Vietnam. This book examines the conflict potential of the current dispute, discusses the views of the main claimants and the United States, and assesses the prospects for resolution"--