Abstract

LLANOS-ANTCZAK, Anna  and  PHOMMACHANH, Pathummaly. China’s Assertiveness in the South and East China Sea: A Constructivist Approach. Rev. mex. cienc. polít. soc [online]. 2022, vol.67, n.244, pp.23-43.  Epub Apr 17, 2023. ISSN 0185-1918.  https://doi.org/10.22201/fcpys.2448492xe.2022.244.71189.

This article aims to discuss the issue of China’s assertiveness in the South and East China Seas within the constrictivist framework, as economic (liberalism) and military power (realism) are not sufficient to explain the complexity of the problem. It aims to answer the following question: How does the constructivist approach lend itself to the understanding of China’s assertiveness in the case of the South and the East China Sea territorial disputes? It will also explore the following hypotheses: the victimized identity perception leads China to be assertive in the South China Sea dispute and the perception of Japan’s behavior as aggressive (as in the past) provokes China to be assertive in the East China Sea dispute.

Keywords : China; South China Sea; East China Sea; disputes; constructivism.