Although it pledged to adhere to a code of conduct negotiated by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 2002, it used its superior military might in disputes with the Philippines and Vietnam. In 2012, Chinese patrol vessels chased Philippine fishing boats away from Scarborough Shoal off the Philippine coast, and the Philippine government has taken the dispute to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), which China claims has no jurisdiction.
但中国没能避免与其海上邻国的冲突。尽管中国承诺遵守2002年由东盟谈判确定的准则，但它在于菲律宾和越南的纠纷中使用了强大的军事力量。2012年，中国海监船驱赶菲律宾渔船离开菲律宾海岸外的黄岩岛，菲律宾政府将纠纷上诉至国际海洋法法庭（ITLOS），而中国宣称ITLOS对此不拥有司法管辖权。2014年，中国在越南主张主权的水域建立油井，双方船只在海上用水炮互相攻击；越南更是爆发了反华骚乱。