The Arctic and the South China Sea: How Different and How are the Two Regions Assessed by the US and China?

Maritime politics are a crucial part of recent International politics. Two regions are in this context specifically in focus: The Arctic and the South China Sea. Hardly any other regions are more different. Not least as concerns international tensions. The South China Sea is a manifestation of heavy conflicts and high tension.The Arctic is considered a low tension area. How come and what are the prospects for the two regions regionally and globally.? The US and China have specific interests in both regions. How are the basic policies and strategies of the two countries towards these regions? The aim of the paper is to answer these questions, first of all, however, to try to explain the policy of the two powers and assess their respective role in the two different regions. The theoretical point of departure will be a neorealist approach taking in insights from regionalism.