Orchestrated stunts by the US with allies display selfish intent

Admiral Harry B. Harris, Jr., US Navy Commander, US Pacific Command, (L), shades hands with Fan Changlong, vice-chairman of China's Central Military Commission before their meeting at the Bayi Building in Beijing, China, 03 November 2015.[Photo/IC]

Fan Changlong, vice-chairman of China's Central Military Commission, visited the country's Nansha Islands, according to a statement released by the Defense Ministry on Friday. The statement was released shortly before a visit by US Defense Secretary Ash Carter to the US aircraft carrier John C. Stennis on the final day of joint naval exercises by the US and the Philippines. People's Daily Overseas Edition commented on Monday:

In fact, since last year, Washington has made several muscle-flexing attempts to challenge Beijing on the South China Sea issue. In October, the guided-missile destroyer USS Lassen sailed through the 12-nautical-mile waters around a Chinese isle in the name of "freedom of navigation". A month later two US B52 bombers resorted to similar tricks.

Accompanied by his Philippine counterpart Voltaire Gazmin, Carter landed aboard a US aircraft carrier navigating in the South China Sea, in a clear attempt to display the strategic alliance and closeness shared by the two countries.

It is self-evident that these orchestrated efforts are only in the interest of the US, which aims to interfere with China's lawful activities in the South China Sea.

Though pledging to avoid picking sides in the territorial disputes between China and some neighbors like the Philippines in the South China Sea, the US often turns a blind eye to the latter's provocations yet gives China a hard time. It even questions the Chinese lighthouses on its Nansha Islands, which are built to better serve the neighboring coastal countries and the ships passing through the waters.

That Washington is intentionally playing up a so-called China threat and trying to contain Beijing's rise, has a lot to do with its declining leadership in Asia-Pacific affairs and some of its allies' requests for its presence. This explains its increasing interventions in the South China Sea, including the latest military exercise with Manila, whose air and naval forces would be of little help to the US.

In response, a top Chinese military officer has made a rare visit to some of the islands in the South China Sea, showcasing China's determination to protect its lawful interests and sovereignty in the waters, safeguard regional stability, and offer public goods to the international community.

The US should not misinterpret China's goodwill, and it should live up to its "peacekeeping" commitment to the regional powers.