'The South China Sea arbitration … is so far the first attempt by a claimant State in the South China Sea to resort the dispute to a third party forum … (and) it does not make a desired contribution to resolving the real dispute … Nevertheless, it does motivate China and ASEAN to speed up the negotiation on the consultation of the Code of Conduct. Raftopoulos' book, viewing international negotiation as a process of relational governance based on the analytical framework of international common interest, will shed light on countries who are in favor of preference for negotiation in managing international disputes. The book generates much discussion on the matrix of the international negotiation process through both an intellectual and pragmatic lens, and should be read by academics and practitioners of international law and negotiations, officials of international organizations, and anyone interested in the interdisciplinary study of international law and international relations.' Dr Nong Hong, Ocean Yearbook
Part I. Theoretical Approaches to International Negotiations and International Common Interest; Section 1. The 'Theorization' of International Negotiation; Part II. The Negotiation Phases in the Conventional Construction of International Common Interest; Section 3. The Pre-Negotiation Phase as a Process of Transformative Governance.