The South China Sea remains a hotly contested maritime domain. For more than a decade, China’s expanding presence has posed a challenge not only to the United States but more directly to Southeast Asian claimants such as the Philippines and Vietnam, which have primarily responded through political and diplomatic actions. Darlene Onuorah spoke with Andrew Chubb, author of the NBR Special Report “Dynamics of Assertiveness in the South China Sea: China, the Philippines, and Vietnam, 1970–2015,” to discuss lessons for preventing and managing crises in disputed areas of the South China Sea.

This interview is accompanied by an updated Maritime Assertiveness Visualization Dashboard (MAVD) featuring an interactive, time-sensitive map of the South China Sea and new visual attributes depicting varying levels and kinds of assertiveness between China, the Philippines, and Vietnam through time.