STRATEGIC REBALANCING: SINO-US INTERPLAY IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA

For the last three-decade, the United is acting as a hegemon in the world. Largely it has established the rules of world politics with its allies. Even in some areas (an example is the Iraq war), it acted unilaterally to achieve its foreign policy goals. But with the rise of China in the last couple of decades the balance of power is changing in some regions. Especially in the South China Sea where the United States has many allies and also its troops, China is asserting its power. The US is no longer the hegemon states in the South China Sea to develop rules of the game. The United States is working passionately to rebalance China in the South China Sea. The results of this rebalancing strategy are still unclear but it has created vulnerabilities for regional peace. This paper will analyze the great powers (the United States and China) competition in the South China Sea. It will explain the effect of this rivalry on regional peace. Secondary data is used in the study. Data was collected from books, research papers, prominent news agencies, and speeches of world leaders. Keywords: Balance of Power, Deterrence, Strategic Stability, Soft Power, Freedom of Navigation, Second Cold War