Cooperation or Trust: What comes first in the South China Sea?

摘要

Two opposing schools of thought are apparent in the South China Sea. One says cooperation will help build trust and the other claims that cooperation is not possible without trust. Must this necessarily be a chicken-and-egg issue? A 'Chicken and Egg' situation has emerged in the South China Sea. What comes first - cooperation as a Maritime Confidence-Building Measure (MCBM), or strategic trust? This dilemma is largely explained by the reality that the concepts involved means different things to different people.