The attempt of China to assert its sovereignty over a large part of the South China Sea starting with the second half of the twentieth century to this day is answered with overlapping claims over the sea coming from several neighboring states and with the opposition of other states, including the United States, emphasizing on the international status of the South China Sea under the United Nations Convention from 1982. Over the past years, Chinese efforts to increase control over its surrounding maritime areas have been considered by the United States and other states in the region as manifestations of a Chinese maritime rise aimed at dominating the international waters of the South China Sea and other neighboring seas. The lack of a concrete diplomatic agenda for a peaceful settlement of the disputes in a predictable timeframe fuels not only insecurity in the South China Sea region but has also dragged other states in the Asia-Pacific region into the arms spiral, increasing their military spending. Using a qualitative research methodology: case study method, historical method, and document analysis, this article aims to present the main foreign policy coordinates of the countries involved in the disputes and of the main states interested in the region, trying to distinguish between the traditional Asian prevalence of national interest and bilateral relations facing the need for collaborative formulas to ensure collective security in the South China Sea region. The distinction is important to avoid a potentially conflicting crisis at least at the regional level, if not global, given the strategic and economic importance of the South China Sea.