NBR will work with a principal investigator and in-region contacts to assemble three research teams to investigate three case studies of sovereignty disputes in Asia. These teams will be composed of four experts each and will be primarily drawn from institutions in Asia. Each team will be multidisciplinary, representing the fields of law, energy and natural resources, economics, regional politics and security, and negotiation and conflict resolution. The principal investigator will direct the teams’ efforts and integrate their results to produce project outcomes.

NBR’s selection of a principal investigator and project teams is moving ahead on schedule. Per the project proposal, NBR will finalize the composition of the three research teams in collaboration with the principal investigator. NBR has engaged over 20 U.S.-based and regional scholars including those from Australia, Singapore, China, and Vietnam. Many of these experts will work on the project in some capacity.

Over the project life cycle, the research teams will work with key stakeholders to analyze the contours of the maritime disputes, propose new development models, and disseminate research findings and recommendations. This will include convening regional workshops and conferences, publishing a series of white papers and a final report, and holding ongoing consultations with regional partner organizations, representatives of concerned governments, civil society, and the private sector, as well as other academics. At the conclusion of the project the final report including analysis of the disputes and recommendations for policymakers will be presented to
key stakeholders in the region and relevant international organizations.

The methodology will by necessity be cross-sectoral. Though the final research agenda will be set by NBR and the principal investigator in consultation with regional partner institutions, the project will address the following questions:

• Law: What legal principles underlie the competing claims? Are there unexplored opportunities or challenges to the use of international agreements, such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to resolve disputed claims? What legal models have been applied to similar maritime disputes? Are any international institutions such as the World Court well-placed to provide neutral, credible rulings on the merits of relative claims? How can any eventual agreements be best monitored?

• Energy and Natural Resources: What are the nature and significance of the resource deposits in question? What technical and financial capabilities are needed to extract the resources, and which countries and companies lay claims to them? What downstream infrastructure (pipelines, refineries, and ports, for example) is needed to take advantage of any resource development? What environmental factors must be considered? How will exploiting these disputed resources affect regional states’ broader energy security policies?

• Economics: What are the economic costs and benefits of different models of developing the disputed resource deposits? Are joint-financing arrangements an effective way to organize resource development? How much up-front investment would be necessary to begin development? Can political risk be sufficiently reduced to enable large-scale private sector investments? Which countries, companies, and interest groups stand to gain (or lose) most from developing the disputed resources?

• Politics and Security: What relationship do these maritime energy disputes have to broader political relations between countries? What are the political and security implications of various resource development options? Are there ongoing bilateral or regional developments that could provide new opportunities for progress in reducing tensions or resolving these disputes? Alternatively, are there trends or developments that could increase the risks of conflict and impede efforts at cooperation?

The National Bureau of Asian Research’s Economics and Trade Affairs (ETA) group manages this project. The ETA group leads NBR‘s efforts to conduct ground-breaking policy research on the rising economic importance of Asia to the United States. The group focuses on issues related to energy, the environment, and natural resources; innovation; and developments in trade and investment relations. Ms. Meredith Miller, Vice President of Economics and Trade Affairs & Outreach, oversees the project, and Ms. Stephanie Renzi, Project Director, manages the project. In this capacity, Ms. Renzi works closely with the principal investigator, research teams, regional partners, stakeholders, and the MacArthur Foundation to ensure effective collaboration and long-term capacity building.

Name	Affiliation	Project Role
Clive Schofield	Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security	Principal Investigator
Yingchun Gong	China Foreign Affairs University	Research Team Member – East China Sea Dispute
Seokwoo Lee	Inha University Law School	Research Team Member – East China Sea Dispute
Ian Storey	Institute of Southeast Asian Studies	Research Team Member – South China Sea Dispute
Kuan-Hsiung Wang	National Taiwan Normal University	Research Team Member – East China Sea Dispute
May Tan-Mullins	Durham University	Research Team Member – Gulf of Thailand Dispute
Tran Truong Thuy	Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam	Research Team Member – South China Sea Dispute