Asian Waters: The Struggle Over the South China Sea & the Strategy of Chinese Expansion.

• Jurisdiction: Singapore
• Date: 01 April 2019
• Author: Thi Ha, Hoang

Asian Waters: The Struggle Over the South China Sea & the Strategy of Chinese Expansion. By Humphrey Hawksley. New York: The Overlook Press, 2018. Hardcover: 287pp.

Humphrey Hawksley's book, Asian Waters: The Struggle Over the South China Sea & the Strategy of Chinese Expansion, does not add much that is new to the already extensive literature on the South China Sea dispute. However, it does provide a rich and readable overview of the various dynamics that factor into the re-emergence of China as the dominant power in Asia, and the anxiety this power shift has generated among countries across the Indo-Pacific region in general and Southeast Asia in particular.

The book aims to trace the broad strategic contours of the Indo-Pacific--with the South China Sea at the epicentre--where tectonic shifts are occurring due to China's drive to reclaim its status as Asia's paramount power. At the same time, it delves into particular power dynamics, political--economic developments and the historical contexts of certain countries across the region which inform and define their varied responses to China's rise. Within 274 pages, the author can only do so with quick, broad brushstrokes, eliding important nuances and complexities. This is, however, made up for by the insightful observations and vivid descriptions of a journalist who has travelled extensively in the region. The...