{"id":134065,"date":"2012-03-23T11:02:52","date_gmt":"2012-03-23T18:02:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/?p=134065"},"modified":"2012-03-23T11:08:42","modified_gmt":"2012-03-23T18:08:42","slug":"why-china-is-playing-nice-in-the-south-china-sea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/2012\/03\/why-china-is-playing-nice-in-the-south-china-sea\/","title":{"rendered":"Why China is Playing Nice in the South China Sea"},"content":{"rendered":"
A recent editorial piece in China Daily draws\u00a0attention\u00a0to\u00a0China’s legally-just behavior in a “calm and peaceful” South China Sea, and centers the blame for contention in this maritime\u00a0region on the U.S.<\/a><\/strong>:<\/p>\n On March 15, Lt. Gen. Burton Field, the commander of U.S. Forces Japan, gave a press conference in Tokyo, demanding China to respect the freedom of navigation and take responsible actions in the South China Sea. It is actually not a responsible action that a senior commander of the U.S. armed forces targeted China once again by taking the \u201cfreedom of navigation of the South China Sea\u201d issue as an excuse.<\/p>\n What is a responsible action? Are the actions of the United States sailing its warships to the South China Sea, frequently holding military drills clearly against China with the countries around the sea and trying to form a military alliance with them responsible actions? Are the actions of the United States forcing Asian countries to take side between the United States and China and even deliberately smearing normal cooperation between China and its surrounding countries responsible actions?<\/p>\n The current South China Sea is calm and peaceful, and all countries, including the United States, can fully enjoy the freedom of navigation there. The U.S. commander has ignored a fundamental fact that the rapid economic development of the Asia-Pacific Region was and is closely connected with the freedom of navigation of the South China Sea. The rapidly expanding trade between the United States and the Asia-Pacific Region is also closely connected with the freedom of navigation of the sea.<\/p>\n However, while enjoying the freedom of navigation of the South China Sea, the United States also keeps making troubles and repeatedly throws out the \u201cfreedom of navigation of the South China Sea\u201d issue. The United States is deliberately blurring the issue of the freedom of navigation and the issue of territorial sovereignty and is deliberately creating a type of public opinion to pave the way for implementing its strategy.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The Economist confirms the China Daily op-ed’s point that waters are currently tranquil, and that China is respecting freedom of navigation in the area. The article also mentions that\u00a0China has only itself to blame for a heightened U.S. presence that is largely welcomed by China’s neighbor states<\/a><\/strong>:<\/p>\n \u201cTHE South China Sea,\u201d noted the\u00a0People\u2019s Daily<\/em>\u00a0this week, \u201cis currently calm and peaceful\u201d. As far as that goes, the Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece was quite right. But the sea also remains in dispute, with China and five other countries having claims to some or all of its islands, rocks and waters. It is also a cause of superpower rivalry. America asserts its own \u201cnational interest\u201d in the freedom of navigation in the sea, and, like the South-East Asian claimants to the sea, sees China as the threat. For that, the ambiguity that shrouds China\u2019s own position has much to do with it.<\/p>\n […T]he\u00a0People\u2019s Daily<\/em>\u00a0was keen to blame America for any tension in the sea. It was responding to a press conference by General Burton Field, the commander of American forces in Japan, at which he called on China to respect the freedom of navigation.<\/p>\n The\u00a0People\u2019s Daily<\/em>, rightly again, argued that this is not at present under threat. It had a point when it argued that America may be blurring the issues as part of its \u201creturn to Asia\u201d strategy, which includes strengthening its ties with China\u2019s neighbours. But for the uncomfortable realisation that this strategy has been broadly welcomed in the region, China has itself to blame.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n