REFRAMING THE SOUTH CHINA SEA DISPUTE: CHINA’S EMBASSY DISCOURSE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

Dominik Mierzejewski and Katarzyna Herynowska examine how Chinese embassies in Southeast Asia frame the South China Sea dispute and adapt Beijing’s broader diplomatic narrative to different national audiences. Focusing on Chinese embassy communications in Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei, the authors combine quantitative and qualitative analysis to explore how references to the United Nations, the United States, UNCLOS, arbitration, and the Code of Conduct are used to define the legitimate boundaries of dispute management. The entire CAA Paper is available here.