The paper investigates how maritime peace in East Asia can be enhanced through the Charter of the United Nations. This is done through an examination of two key norms of the Charter, the prohibition of the use of force in inter-state relations and the peaceful settlement of disputes. The empirical application of these principles and their possible impact on maritime peace in the East Asia region is studied through the foreign policy of China and through the principles governing the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). This is motivated by the fact that both China and ASEAN put strong emphasis on non-use of force in inter-state relations and peaceful settlement of inter-state disputes. The paper examines the possible impact of the policies of the major external actor, i.e. the United States of America (USA). The paper is concluded by a broader discussion on the linkage between non-use of force and peaceful settlement of disputes and the promotion of maritime peace in East Asia.