Maritime Security Mechanisms for the Asian-Pacific Region

With the significant changes in the Asian-Pacific security environment in the post-Cold War era, cooperation in the region becomes both attainable and necessary. Because the ocean plays such a significant role in the Asian-Pacific region, maritime security is becoming a vital element in regional cooperative security.

This paper argues that maritime security-including transparency measures, confidence building measures (CBMs), and naval arms control-is critical for cooperative securityin the region. Maritime security measures should be undertaken in both. undisputed and disputed
sea areas. When adopted in disputed sea areas, these measures help guarantee regional peace.

China would support these measures. Preoccupied with reform and economic buildup, China seeks to maintain peace and stability in the region, and would participate in AsianPacific security arrangements. China does not intend to become a blue-water power. Rather it plans to enter and support a maritime security process in cooperation with other countries in the region.