David MÁLAGA

The risk of a direct confrontation between China and the United States is rising proportionally with China’s increasing economic and political influence in the Asia-Pacific region and her claims to hegemony in the South China Sea. The author argues that it is essential to pay close attention to the security architecture in the Asia-Pacific region and to those issues that can affect world peace. It is particularly important to follow developments in traditional threats and the rise of new threats to security in the context of periodic bilateral incidents and crises, such as the numerous sovereignty disputes in the South China Sea and the nuclear threat on the Korean peninsula.

A looming arms buildup, a rise in nationalism, a paucity of regional efforts to promote detente and mutual trust, and the implementation of the doctrine of the Pivot to Asia pose additional risks to international peace and security. They impinge directly on the regional cooperation scheme that has the potential to make the Asia-Pacific region the core of the international economy and the driving force for development in the new century.