By Liu Feng

The South China Sea has become a key area for the US to implement its "Indo-Pacific strategy" at present. By leading the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or Quad, AUKUS trilateral security alliance and other regional security frameworks, the US has gradually militarized the affairs and intensified the confrontation in this region. Instigated by the US and other extraterritorial forces, some Southeast Asian countries have also made more moves in the disputed areas off the waters, which brings negative impacts to the peace and stability of this region.

Such moves touch the spot of the US to some extent. The country is neither categorized into the South China Sea geographically nor a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). However, it has repeatedly clamored the South China Sea issue and deliberately drives a wedge between China and ASEAN countries, in an attempt to find an excuse to intervene in the regional disputes and further achieve its geopolitical goals.

In contrast, as the largest coastal country and a major user of the fairways in the South China Sea, China attaches greater importance to regional peace and stability as well as freedom of navigation and overflight than any other country. Its words and deeds on the South China Sea not only consider its own rights and interests but also the legitimate interests of other claimants, especially the overall interests of ASEAN countries.

On the one hand, for China, it is necessary to break out of the discourse traps long set by the US and the West, including the so-called question that "Whether does China want the South China Sea or Southeast Asia". This is obviously the result of a subjective assumption of China's behaviors based on "Western-centrism" thinking and the strategic stereotype that "a strong country will seek hegemony". It is decided by the peaceful development path of China that it is certain to live in peace and grow in concert with neighboring countries.

Backing to the South China Sea issue, although it neither is an issue simply between China and ASEAN nor represents the entire relationship between China and some Southeast Asian countries concerned, it undoubtedly cannot be evaded for the development of China-ASEAN relations. For the sake of long-term peace and stability in this region, China has been actively advocating restoring the South China Sea issue to its original and substantial nature, desensitizing certain regional topics, and decoupling disputes with the China-ASEAN bilateral relations development. Meanwhile, as to the so-called question that "Whether does China want the South China Sea or Southeast Asia" and other similar contradictory issues distortedly fabricated by the US strategic community, China has always and will deconstruct in a targeted manner and refute straightly and sincerely, so as to further strengthen trust and eliminate doubts over consultations on the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea and other cooperation agendas, and inject new impetus into the relationship development between China and ASEAN countries.

On the other hand, for the Southeast Asian countries concerned, the relevant parties should pay special attention to avoid falling into the "prisoner's dilemma" around the South China Sea issue, that is, to blindly seek the utmost interests of themselves but it backfires ultimately. In particular, the countries concerned should be highly vigilant against the "geopolitical traps" plotted by the US. For example, the US incited some countries involved in the South China Sea issue to confront China by claiming to provide support, but the surrounding countries should always be soberly aware that acting as a vassal of the US is dangerous but would only degrade them as its lackey or chess in the region.

It is not rare to see that such incendiary and misleading promises by the US only end up sacrificing greater gains for the relevant countries. The US' conducts on the South China Sea issue are to seek its own interests at the expense of other countries' security essentially. Fundamentally speaking, to make this region the frontline or even a powder keg of great power competition is not in line with the common interests of China and ASEAN countries.

Although it is difficult to resolve the South China Sea issue in a short time, as long as China and ASEAN countries uphold the basic concepts of mutual respect and mutually beneficial cooperation, regional chaos and warfare could be avoided, and it will all be in vain however extraterritorial major countries stir up trouble, thus effectively guaranteeing the peaceful development dividends of the South China Sea.

(The author is a researcher at Maritime Silk Road Research Base, Hainan Normal University.)

Editor's note: Originally published on huanqiu.com, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.