Keywords: ASEAN, US-China rivalry, Myanmar, South China Sea territorial dispute The U.S.-China rivalry is becoming a major foreign policy challenge for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Many of them continue to depend on the United States for regional stability. But from an economic point of view, for the vast majority of the Association countries, China has become the main trading partner and the largest foreign investor. This dual dependence on the United States and China has become an intractable dilemma for the Association as a whole and for individual member States. The impact of the complex U.S.-China relationship is most pronounced in the ASEAN members ' approach to territorial disputes in the South China Sea and the growing divisions within the organization itself. SUBJECT OF CONTENTION The territorial dispute in the South China Sea is a consequence of the unresolved issue of ownership of these islands after World War II and Beijing's decision in November 2007 to create a new county of Hainan Island province called Sansha, which includes the disputed islands in the South China Sea-Para - rural (Xisha) and Spratly (Nansha)1. In addition to China, Vietnam claims the first place, while Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei claim the second place.2 The ASEAN-China summit held in Hanoi in October 2010 adopted a statement on behalf of all participants, which set out "the commitment to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on Principles of Conduct of the Parties in the South China Sea and to strive for the adoption of the Code of Principles of Conduct in the South China Sea (SCM) on the basis of consent". page 4 Shortly before that, in October 2010, at the session of the ASEAN Regional Security Forum (ARF) in Hanoi, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton voiced Washington's position on the territorial dispute for the first time at a high level. She said that the United States stands for freedom of navigation and compliance with ... Read more