U.S. Needs Neutral Policy on Sea Disputes

By JIN YONGMING

U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice said during her first visit to China from September 7 to 9 that President Barack Obama regards his scheduled November visit to China as a milestone, because he attaches great importance to U.S.-China relations.

Although Obama’s visit is still a month away, observers believe that instability in the South China Sea due to the “pivot to Asia” policy of the U.S. will be high on the agenda of the Sino-U.S. talks.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi reiterated Beijing’s stance on September 7, when he said that China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are fully capable of maintaining peace and stability, as well as ensuring freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. Wang went on to say that he was cognizant of the reasonable concerns among non-regional countries, and expressed hope that they would play a constructive role in resolving the South China Sea issue.

If Washington understands the essence of such messages, it will help develop better Sino-U.S. relations. In July, the U.S. Senate passed Resolution 412 on sovereign disputes in the Asia-Pacific region, asking China to close its oil rig in and withdraw convoy vessels from the waters off its Xisha Islands. The resolution also asked China to exercise restraint in using its Air Defense Identification Zone over the East China Sea.

U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Michael Fuchs went further to say that parties to territorial disputes should not take any action to change the status quo — which includes reclamation near and constructions on or near disputed islands — to create favorable conditions for negotiations. The U.S. has even proposed “three nos” for disputing parties: no scrambling for islands and outposts, no changing the landscape of the South China Sea, and no taking unilateral action against other countries.

The “three nos” proposal, or “moratorium,” on activities in the South China Sea is different from the earlier U.S. policy on the issue and, worse, mainly targeted at China while ignoring the provocative actions of other countries, which are either illegally exploiting the resources or occupying islands in disputed waters. Such a double standard is obviously aimed at containing China’s activities and, therefore, not conducive to maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea and the Asia-Pacific region as a whole.

(Source: China Daily)