By Bo Zhiyue
It’s in neither country’s interests to have a conflict — but they’re headed in that direction all the same.
Contrary to the idea of “a new type of great power relationship” defined by mutual respect, mutual benefit, and win-win cooperation proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, China and the United States have been recently engaged in a war game over the South China Sea.
In response to China’s active construction of islands in the disputed waters of the South China Sea, a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon surveillance plane flew near the construction site on Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly Islands on May 21, 2015 and received eight warnings from a Chinese military dispatcher. This incident came less than a week after a U.S. warship sailed through the Spratly Islands.
From China’s point of view, the construction work in the South China Sea is lawful, necessary, and on its own territory. As Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated in March 2015, China is merely building facilities in its own yard. “We have every right to do things that are lawful and justified,” he said.
From the United States’ perspective, however, China’s construction work poses threats not only to its immediate neighbors such as Vietnam and the Philippines — a U.S. treaty ally — but also to the freedom of navigation in the South China Sea — one of the world’s busiest shipping routes. In Washington’s view, a robust response is urgently needed.
Read the full story at The Diplomat