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People’s Daily: What is Behind the Freedom of Navigation

People’s Daily published an article by special commentator Chen Hu, Chief Editor of World Military, a bi-weekly journal of the People’s Liberation Army Branch of Xinhua. Chen commented on U.S. Secretary of State Clinton’s concern that the recent happenings in the South China Sea may unbalance the peace and stability in the region and threaten the U.S. national interest in freedom of navigation. "Although the South China Sea issue has been there for a long time, it remains the most active area for the world’s international shipping and maritime activities, and the freedom of navigation in the South China Sea has not been under threat. Be it most of the neighboring countries around the South China Sea or most developed countries, none have issued a similar warning about a crisis. Almost all of the rhetoric about the so-called "freedom of navigation under threat" came from the United States, which is thousands of miles away.”

“People often see someone use all sorts of excuses, such as ‘humanitarian crisis,’ ‘terrorist threat,’ support of the ‘democracy movement,’ etc., to intervene in the affairs of other countries. The end result is nothing but the intervener benefiting [from the situation] and the country involved and the surrounding area being plunged into war and turmoil.”

Source: People’s Daily, June 29, 2011
http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrbhwb/html/2011-06/29/content_857465.htm