Bangladesh, July 23 -- As China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) continue to strengthen one of Asia's most significant strategic partnerships, renewed tensions in the South China Sea once again threaten to overshadow the broader agenda of regional cooperation. The latest maritime confrontation between China and the Philippines, unfolding just ahead of the China-ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting, has highlighted how territorial disputes remain a persistent source of friction. Yet it has also underscored a larger question facing the region: whether geopolitical rivalry and external intervention will be allowed to derail decades of economic integration and diplomatic engagement.

The South China Sea has long been one of...