Shen Dingli, Associate Dean of the International Studies Institute of Fudan University, published an article in People’s Daily commenting on the U.S.’s position on the South China Sea. Below is an excerpt from the article.
“Regarding the South China Sea, the United States recently spewed forth a lot of noise against China. Some individual U.S. departments not only released harsh remarks; they also acted recklessly. The U.S. military first sent warplanes to conduct close surveillance of the reefs in our territory. Then it threatened to send warships to use force to enter the islands and reefs within the 12 sea miles of China’s territory.”
“Moreover, the U.S. is also developing partners and allies in the Indian-Pacific region, abetting some countries to provoke China with a number of its military alliances and partnerships and with the use of arms and military technology aid. To a large extent, the current situation in the South China Sea is closely associated with the U.S.’s unwarranted suspicion of China.”
“As the world’s only superpower, the United States hopes to maintain its long-term dominance of the world, which has long been clearly expressed in its many strategic documents. As for how to achieve this goal, the United States currently lacks rational thinking.”
“The U.S.’s recent South China Sea policy fully exposed the mindlessness of its dominant thoughts.”
“On the one hand, the U.S. completely turned a deaf ear to China’s sovereignty position in the South China Sea islands and reefs established in history and China’s demand for such a position in the middle of last century. The U.S. requires maintaining the ‘status quo’ in existence after 2002. The essence is to make China lose its sovereignty over the South China Sea islands and reefs forever.”
“On the other hand, the United States has recently paid a great deal of attention to China’s extension of some South China Sea islands and reefs, not only sending planes and ships to the close vicinity, but also ordering China to stop development as soon as possible. The U.S.’s biased and arrogant conduct on the South China Sea issue is the root cause of turbulence in the region.”
“For China’s development, there is the contribution from the U.S.’s cooperation, but the United States does not feel comfortable with the possible disruption of China’s rapid development of its own position. Therefore, it displays anxiety and reckless behavior, no longer appearing like the once calm supranational.”
“On the South China Sea issue, we remind the United States that it must always consider two big pictures. One is peace and stability and the other is the Sino-US relationship. A sober United States should recognize that it is the American’s biased treatment that causes instability of the South China Sea. China has been remaining low-key in international affairs for a long time, but will not back down in safeguarding its legitimate national rights. In the long run, challenging the bottom line of Chinese sovereignty over the South China Sea and undermining the overall Sino-U.S. relationship is likely to cause more damage to the United States.”
Source: People’s Daily, June 2, 2015
http://world.people.com.cn/n/2015/0602/c1002-27090380.html