Sovereignty and the Seas
Maritime Disputes in East Asia

M. Taylor Fravel is the Arthur and Ruth Sloan Professor of Political Science and Director of the Security Studies Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He also serves on the editorial boards of International Studies Quarterly, Security Studies, the Journal of Strategic Studies, and China Quarterly and is a member of the Board of Directors for the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.

Karolos Karnikis is Senior Vice President of Information and Technology at NBR.

John S. Van Oudenaren is Assistant Director of Political and Security Affairs at NBR.

Podcast Timestamps

00:43 Introduction

04:12 In your recent Foreign Affairs article, how did you come up with the term China’s “sovereignty obsession”?

09:14 Can you explain why public opinion was not a major factor in the 2020 India-China border dispute?

13:11 Do different disputes have different domestic audience costs for Beijing? Is there more public attention attached to the South China Sea or East China Sea disputes?

17:20 What is the basis for some of China’s broader maritime claims, and how does it justify these claims to the Chinese people?

23:22 What are the United States’ policy options in the South China Sea?

27:59 What is the involvement of other navies outside the region, such as France, the United Kingdom, and Japan?

31:47 Can you tell us a little about Pratas Island, which is administered by Taiwan?

36:23 Are we headed for a major U.S.-China crisis centered around Taiwan?

40:56 Closing remarks