US likely to raise pressure, observers say

An aerial photo taken on Sept 25, 2015 from a seaplane of Hainan Maritime Safety Administration shows cruise vessel Haixun 1103 heading to the Yacheng 13-1 drilling rig during a patrol in the South China Sea. [Photo/Xinhua]

With the Shangri-La Dialogue — a high-profile regional security convention — set to begin on Friday, observers predicted that Washington will try to further pressure and isolate China on maritime issues.

They also cautioned that the United States should not let the South China Sea issue overshadow China-US ties.

Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha is scheduled to give the keynote speech at the influential gathering of senior defense officials from within and outside the Asia-Pacific region. The 15th dialogue, organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, will be held from Friday through Sunday in Singapore.

Zhang Junshe, a senior researcher at the PLA Naval Military Studies Research Institute, said that the dialogue this year has a new twist — the arbitration sought by the Philippines against China regarding the South China Sea issue.

Zhao Xiaozhuo, a researcher at the Center on China-America Defense Relations at the PLA Academy of Military Science, said it is common to see conflicting ideas debated between Chinese and US military officials during the annual dialogue.

He said Washington will likely use the opportunity to pressure and isolate China, especially militarily.

Sun Jianguo, deputy chief of the Joint Staff Department of China's Central Military Commission, will lead a Chinese delegation and deliver a speech during a plenary session.

The South China Sea, China-US military ties and the Korean Peninsula are on the top of the Chinese delegation's agenda.

Ruan Zongze, vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies, said, "It is time for both sides (China and the US) to evaluate how far they will allow the South China Sea issue to go."

It was unclear whether Sun will have a meeting or other contacts with the US participants, who will include Secretary of Defense Ash Carter.

Sun is also expected to hold bilateral and multilateral meetings and introduce China's policies and practices of "strengthening Asia-Pacific security cooperation and regional security governance", the Ministry of National Defense said in a statement.

Tim Huxley, executive director of IISS-Asia, said in an online article that "there is much speculation about China's next steps in the South China Sea".