INTERVIEW | South China Sea: U.S. & Chinese Expert Perspectives

As international attention turns to the multiple territorial disputes in the South China Sea in expectation of an imminent Hague arbitration court decision, leading experts from the United States and China met for a track II dialogue in New York (June 29-30, 2016) convened by the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations in cooperation with China’s National Institute for South China Sea Studies, to clarify positions, discuss differences and areas of shared interest, and to map strategies for solutions. 

In this brief interview on June 30, 2016, Zhang Xinjun, professor of public international law at Tsinghua University, and M. Taylor Fravel, associate professor of political science and member of the Security Studies Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, speak with Stephen Orlins, president of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, for a succinct overview of U.S. and Chinese perspectives on the ongoing maritime and territorial issues.