US admits only paying lip service to neutrality in South China Sea issues

The missile destroyer Haikou (R), missile frigate Yueyang and supply ship Qiandaohu (C) are seen during the supply at sea in Pacific Ocean, during the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) multinational naval exercises, on June 13, 2014. [Photo/Xinhua]

Delivering a keynote speech at the fifth annual South China Sea Conference held by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington on Tuesday, Daniel Russel, US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, reportedly denied the US was neutral in the South China Sea. Comments:

We are not neutral when it comes to adhering to international law. We will come down forcefully when it comes to following the rules. We the United States are obligated to protect US interests.

Daniel Russel, US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, July 21

Regarding the territorial disputes between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea, Washington's selective focus on maritime economic interests rather than the sovereignty of the disputed islets and reefs, is a clumsy violation of the spirit and rules of international law.

People's Daily Overseas Edition, July 23

In effect, Beijing has neither "misunderstood" nor placed high hopes on Washington's South China Sea policy, the neutrality of which may never have existed. The US' intervention in the South China Sea issue is only designed to serve the country's strategy of "rebalancing" and geopolitical deployment in the area.

Global Times, July 23

The South China Sea was uneventful and tranquil for years until the US interfered in 2009, after which regional clashes started to emerge. Facts prove that regional stability can only be safeguarded when all countries in the neighborhood cooperate and trust each other, not when some outside major power seeks to turn one side against another.

Liu Feng, a senior researcher at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, July 22