By examining international public opinion surveys recording favourability towards China during 2010-2020, using open-source data analysis, we can create a cross-national measurement of Chinese soft power. Using statistical models, we can compare whether respondents living in countries with more foreign media advertisements or more significant numbers of SCS (South China Sea) conflictual events express different rates of favourability towards the PRC. Through this research, it would be possible to determine whether a global effort to advertise conflictual SCS events frequently will influence international approval toward China. 

This research paper sets the context for the study and provides an overview of the disputes ongoing between claimant countries in the South China Sea. The paper’s main focus is exploring its relevance to border security, particularly in the region. First and foremost, it will provide definitions and historical background to the South China Sea dispute and the concept of border security. The paper will also be introduced as a study in politics and geography, emphasizing the concept of multiscalarity in border security. By exploring the link between these concepts and particular case study examples in the South China Sea, this research paper advertises itself as a study of the practical implications of those ideas and the complex interplay between political power, territorial space, and strategic security. By focusing explicitly on the South China Sea dispute, this paper will suggest that this offers a critical case study in an area of border security.