By Zhang Chi

Naval vessels assigned to a destroyer flotilla with the navy under the PLA Southern Theater Command sail in formation during a coordination training exercise in early May, 2023. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Yang Yunxiang)

During the 20th Shangri-La Dialogue, the US rallied its allies to hype up the so-called “Unnecessarily Aggressive Maneuver” near US reconnaissance plane over the South China Sea last week. accusing China of not following international rules and safety norms. However, it was the US who was the troublemaker and then deliberately misled the public.

The root cause of the incident is the US’ sea and air bullying. In contrast, China has always taken the overall situation into consideration and has responded and handled the situation professionally, maintaining maximum restraint. It is worrying that such provocative actions by the US will continue to impact bilateral relations and harm international and regional peace and stability.

The US is accustomed to adopting hegemonic and bullying behavior throughout the world. In recent years, the US has disregarded historical and objective facts, deliberately provoked disputes over territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea, and stirred up disputes among regional countries. It is the biggest underminer of stability and the largest promoter of militarization in the South China Sea.

The US has long used the so-called “freedom of navigation” as an excuse to ignore other countries’ maritime rights and security concerns, frequently sending warships and warplanes to violate others’ sovereignty and security and undermine regional peace and tranquility.

It also frequently coerces allies to send ships to provoke China, pushing them to the forefront. In the face of China’s rational, powerful, and restrained response and handling of the situation, the US slandered China as “unprofessional.” This is like a few robbers who often snoop on and provoke others at the doorstep, even occasionally harassing inside the house, while ask the homeowner to hold back anger and say nothing.

Responding to the situation, China has always taken into account the overall situation and exercised restraint, even in the face of deliberate provocations from the US and its allies. To maintain regional stability and the overall stability of China-US relations, China has taken actions that are professional, safe, and in accordance with the principles of international law and are beyond reproach.

In fact, with the joint efforts of regional countries, the overall situation in the South China Sea is generally stable. Relevant countries, especially major powers, should contribute constructively to maintaining regional peace and stability, rather than creating trouble out of nothing.

China has always respected the freedom of navigation and overflight enjoyed by countries in the South China Sea under international law and firmly opposes using this as an excuse to harm the sovereignty and security of regional countries. The United Nations (UN) has never authorized the US to maintain “freedom of navigation,” while the US has not even joined the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

However, Washington has repeatedly used its military might to enforce its will, challenging the international order and continuing to threaten the safety of marine and aerial navigation, exacerbating regional tensions.

For some time, Washington has appeared contradictory in handling China-US relations. On the one hand, it has repeatedly stated its desire to strengthen military communication and exchanges with China, hoping to establish so-called guardrails for bilateral relations. On the other hand, it has disregarded China’s concerns and continuously provoked China, which raises doubts about its sincerity.

A series of hostile actions by the US, including frequent close-in military reconnaissance against China, have seriously undermined mutual trust between the two militaries and impacted bilateral relations. In particular, the US’ provocations and adventurous actions on the Taiwan question are highly alarming.

Today, the Taiwan question is the most likely flashpoint for military conflict between the two major powers. The Taiwan question concerns China’s core interests and the national sentiments of the Chinese people, and does not allow any foreign interference. The one-China principle is the foundation of China-US relations. Any official relations with the Taiwan authorities under any pretext violates the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-US joint communiqués and will inevitably cause severe damage to China-US relations.

In recent years, the US has repeatedly challenged the one-China principle in a salami-slicing manner on the Taiwan question, which is the root cause of tensions in the Taiwan Straits. In response to the US’ provocations, the Chinese military will never tolerate it and will continue to take decisive action to defend national sovereignty, security, and development interests resolutely and firmly maintain regional peace and stability. The US’ bullying actions in the sea and air must come to an end.

The author is an associate professor at the China People’s Liberation Army National Defence University. [email protected]

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