event

Who Makes the Rules? China and the Law of the Sea

Thu. May 11th, 2023
Washington, DC

China’s maritime power challenges fundamental rules governing the world’s oceans. Beijing is at odds with each of its littoral neighbors over how the international law of the sea should apply to boundaries, resources, and dispute resolution. These maritime disputes offer unique insights into China’s emerging vision for international rules and the role of state sovereignty in the international order. Moreover, China’s proposed navigational rules conflict with those of U.S. and its maritime allies which will impact the future of great power competition in the oceans and beyond. Who makes the rules that underpin order in the maritime domain? Is “China’s law of the sea” already in effect in maritime East Asia?

Join Carnegie’s Ashley J. Tellis, Isaac B. Kardon, and Fiona Cunningham for a conversation on China’s maritime strategy in East Asia, and to preview Kardon’s new book China’s Law of the Sea: The New Rules of Maritime Order (Yale, 2023).

SecurityMilitaryForeign PolicyEast AsiaChinaJapanSoutheast Asia
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
event speakers

Fiona Cunningham

Nonresident Scholar, Nuclear Policy Program

Fiona Cunningham is a nonresident scholar in the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and an assistant professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania. She was a Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow in 2020-21.

Isaac B. Kardon

Senior Fellow, Asia Program

Isaac B. Kardon is a senior fellow for China studies in the Asia Program.

Ashley J. Tellis

Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs

Ashley J. Tellis is the Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs and a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, specializing in international security and U.S. foreign and defense policy with a special focus on Asia and the Indian subcontinent.