BEIJING, May 26 (Xinhua) -- The United States and an arbitration tribunal are trying to assert themselves into the South China Sea dispute, an action many experts say is unjustified and reeks of colonial-era interventionism.
The United States, which had officially said that it won't take sides in South China Sea disputes, has been giving support to the Philippines while sending warships and warplanes to the region to crank up pressure on China.
The relationship between the United States and the Philippines is well-known, with the latter once being almost a U.S. colony and being considered one of the regional spots of U.S. influence, former Egyptian ambassador to China Mahmoud Allam told Xinhua.
The bond strengthened after 2012 when the Obama administration introduced the "pivot to Asia" foreign policy, placing a fulcrum on the island country, and consequently emboldening Manila to challenge China's sovereignty in the South China Sea.
"Regrettably, such regional disputes represent an opportunity for outside parties to interfere, and this is the part the United States is awaiting to support its influence in the region by backing certain parties at the expense of others," Allam said.
Nasser Abdel-Aal, an Asia expert and professor of China studies at Cairo-based Ain Shams University, described the U.S. interference in the region as "provocative," arguing that it is not in favor of the region's stability.
"The United States seeks to preserve a footstep in each spot in the world, as it does in the Middle East region," the professor told Xinhua.
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