Bill Hayton is a longtime reporter with BBC News, specializing in contemporary Asia. He has also written for The Economist, the South China Morning Post, and the National Interest.
"Bill Hayton’s splendid book lucidly covers these disputes in all
their complexity from virtually every angle - historical, legal,
political, economic and strategic. A journalist with the BBC and
author of a previous book on Vietnam, he tells a good yarn, even
when the topic is as dry as the United Nations Convention on the
Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Indeed, he may be the first person ever to
have written an exciting account of a meeting of the Association of
South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN)."—The Economist
"Mr. Hayton, a longtime BBC journalist, excels in distilling the
complexity and absurdity of such South China Sea disputes—which
include overlapping claims by Brunei, China, Indonesia, Malaysia,
the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam—into a manageable narrative.
His book offers the best combination of accessibility and accuracy
so far published on the disputes. . . . This is a book for the
layperson, not the lawyer."—Gregory B. Poling, Wall Street
Journal
"The greatest risk today in U.S.-Chinese relations is the South
China Sea, through which passes 40% of world trade. China’s
assertion of ‘indisputable sovereignty’ over it riles other nations
bordering those waters and is beginning to be challenged by the
United States. In The South China Sea, Bill Hayton explains how
this all came about and points to the growing risks of
miscalculation and escalation."—Daniel Yergin, Wall Street
Journal
"A fascinating account of this intensifying conflict. . . .
[Hayton] has produced a detailed yet accessible story of how the
South China Sea has emerged from a mythical danger zone to a real
arena of conflict between regional powers and a source of big-power
strife."—Global Asia
"Hayton has spent much of his professional life working for the BBC
and so his storytelling is well developed. Unlike many of the
academics who have written previously on the South China Sea,
Hayton presents a wholly accessible account that weaves well
thought out arguments with vivid descriptions. He understands the
importance of engaging his audience; points are explained clearly
and his examples, which are as recent as the disappearance of
flight MH370 in March 2014, bring each issue to life."—Sophie
Ibbotson, Geographical
"Thoroughly researched and gracefully written."—David Brown, Asian
Sentinel
"Aimed at the general reader, The South China Sea is a
well-written, imaginatively presented analysis of a complicated
struggle which will continue to make the news and has implications
far beyond the immediate region."—Simon Scott Plummer, TLS
"The South China Sea is of mounting geopolitical importance yet
remains obscure to most audiences outside Asia. Bill Hayton's book
will do much to remedy that - helping governments to fashion wise
policy, and ordinary people to understand the region. It is an
invigorating read."—James Holmes, co-author of Red Star over the
Pacific: China's Rise and the Challenge to U.S. Maritime
Strategy
"Hayton does a fantastic job of covering all major dimensions of
the dispute—historical, legal, resources, geostrategic, military—in
a cogent, concise and compelling manner. As any good journalist
would (and most academics don’t) he adds colour to the narrative by
highlighting the role of key personalities, from Grotius to
Bensurto and everyone in between. An excellent book."—Ian J.
Storey, Editor-in-Chief, Contemporary South-East Asia
|
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
