Huanqiu recently interviewed a Chinese scholar, the Vice President of the Institute of International Relations at China’s People’s University, who commented on the South China Sea situation. The scholar believes that the ultimate solution to the South China Sea crisis is to drive out the United States; however, China needs time to gather its strength to do that. He said that implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea would represent positive progress and might reduce the tension of the South China Sea crisis. “However, differences between China and other parties to the dispute still exist. The South China Sea dispute is so complex that a consensus by itself will not remedy the situation. A controversial political atmosphere that does not allow compromise has emerged within the countries involved in the dispute. The external factor of the U.S., which has always wanted to take the lead in Southeast Asia, should not be ignored. For China, one of the options is to drag things out. China needs more time to gather its strength so that it can ‘drive out’ the United States and other outside forces. Only then will it be possible to find the ultimate solution to the South China Sea issue.”
Source: Huanqiu, July 22, 2011
http://mil.huanqiu.com/Observation/2011-07/1839703.html