Calming troubled waters
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China Daily, June 29, 2011
A political storm continues to gather over the South China Sea issue despite China's restraint and efforts to bring the disputes under control.
No sooner had Beijing and Hanoi sent a positive signal on Sunday that they were easing their tensions over the maritime territory, than the Philippines and the United States made a reckless move to escalate the situation.
The two launched a naval exercise on Tuesday close to the disputed waters. Both sides emphasized it was an annual event aimed at deepening their defense ties. But given the simmering territorial row, their show of force has inevitably raised the temperature and does a disservice to attempts to find a peaceful solution.
Given that Philippine President Benigno Aquino earlier this month called for US help in containing China over the South China Sea issue, Manila will regard the joint exercise as a sign of US support, which will no doubt fuel its infatuation with some islands in the South China Sea.
At the same time, in a blatant move to meddle in the issue, the US Senate approved a nonbinding resolution on Monday that deplored the so-called use of force by China against Vietnamese and Philippine ships in the South China Sea.
China has made clear on many occasions that it has not instigated the current round of tensions in the disputed seas and the US Senate's criticism is ill-founded and only testifies to Washington's growing desire to become more involved in Asia affairs.
This interference from non-claimant countries runs counter to the regional consensus that the South China Sea issue should be solved at the bilateral level and through peaceful negotiations. Worse, it will aggravate dissension and tensions in the region.
Despite Washington's claim that it has a national interest in these troubled waters, it will not go too far over the issue. A direct conflict with Beijing over the dispute would jeopardize its interests in the region and the world at large. As a result, countries like the Philippines are being pushed to the forefront and will eat the bitter fruit in the end.
It should be made clear that China's legitimate right over the entire South China Sea is indisputable. Its sovereignty over the maritime territory is in full conformity with international laws.
History shows that among countries adjacent to the South China Sea, China is the only nation that has exercised continuous, meticulous and effective jurisdiction over the maritime territory.
Disputes over the seas did not break out until the 1970s and have since been driven by some claimant parties' political and economic ambitions.
The disputes should be resolved by the claimant parties themselves through peaceful means. Outside interference will only exacerbate frictions in the region.
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