To lower the risk of conflict in the East & South China Seas, while promoting maritime stability & open shipping lanes, the US needs a new strategic mindset --
one that prioritizes cooperative security & proactive diplomacy to reduce military tension. 1/11 http://quincyinst.org/EAReport2021 

First, the US should pursue an agreement with China on safety in encounters of coast guard vessels to accompany past bilateral agreements regarding naval and air force encounters.

Then, the two sides should enter more in-depth negotiations about military activities at sea. 2/11

Washington should agree to reduce US freedom of navigation operations near China’s coasts and close-in surveillance near PRC naval bases in exchange for Beijing’s commitment not to interfere with military navigation in key straits & sea lines of communication. 3/11

China is increasingly likely to accept such a deal, since it recognizes the need for freedom of navigation for its own naval forces, which are now operating more frequently in waters farther from its own shores. 4/11

Regardless, US should reduce military operations near disputed features in the South China Sea: They distort the norm-building purpose of FONOPs in favor of geopolitical jockeying, dilute utility of military signaling, undermine compromise, & raise risk of dangerous crises. 5/11

The US should also propose a new regional agreement on rules for foreign military activities in exclusive economic zones. International law in this area is notoriously ambiguous & most countries in the region, including SEA nations & US allies, disagree with the US position. 6/11

This sows seeds for miscalculation & crises and makes the US seem a bully to friends & rivals alike.

To jumpstart this diplomatic effort, countries in the region could take the cue of past nongovernmental Track II work conducted by the EEZ Group 21: https://nippon.zaidan.info/seikabutsu/2005/00816/pdf/0001.pdf 7/11

Finally, in the South China Sea disputes over small islands & resources, while some of China’s claims are obnoxious, US interference in the past decade has not promoted restraint on the part of China or others. The US should instead return to its past position of neutrality. 8/11

The US should support peaceful negotiation among claimants & mutually agreeable, realistic compromises. The US should welcome a binding ASEAN–China code of conduct for the SCS wherein all claimants clearly reaffirm they won't use force to eject others from occupied features. 9/11

Washington should also welcome efforts by China and other claimant states to develop provisional measures for joint development & marine conservation, without prejudice to sovereignty claims. The US should be open to whatever mutually acceptable compromise claimants reach. 10/11

Read more about our recommendations for a more stabilizing US strategy for maritime security in Asia that prioritizes robust diplomatic engagement over zero-sum military competition in this new report by myself, @Dalzell60, and @JessLee_DC at https://quincyinst.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/A-New-Strategy-in-East-Asia.pdf 11/11