What show is US and Japan playing on issue of S China Sea?(2)

The South China Sea is enjoying stability and countries nearby are unwilling to stir up conflicts

The interaction between the US and Japan on the issue of South China Sea quickly becomes the focus of attention of the media.

Yet, the invitation of the US and the upcoming discussion of Japan both ignore the basic reality: the South China Sea is now stable in general, and navigation freedom and safety are guaranteed.

As a matter of fact, since the signing of Declaration on the Code of Conduct on the South China Sea in 2002, stakeholders have benefited a lot from cooperation in the South China Sea and the resolution and will of China and the ASEAN countries for jointly safeguarding peace and stability in the South China Sea are evident.

In recent years in particular, China and the ASEAN countries have been actively promoting practical cooperation and negotiations under the framework of the Declaration on the Code of Conduct on the South China Sea, and encouraged countries to go in the same direction of China to jointly control maritime disputes, and reached some principles and consensus on handling disputes and promoting cooperation.

China has been actively advocating a dual-track approach to handle the issue of South China Sea, which has won the understanding and support from most countries in the region. The related countries are actively carrying forward various maritime pragmatic cooperation including joint development on the sea. That is why many countries in the region express clearly their support for cooperation and objection to confrontation.

The South China Sea is the common homeland of China and neighboring countries. It is in the common interests of various stakeholders to build the South China Sea into a "sea of peace",a "sea of friendship" and a "sea of cooperation". As China's foreign ministry spokesman said recently, China and the ASEAN have the will and ability to work together to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea area. Other countries should respect the efforts of countries in the region to maintain peace and stability, instead of driving a wedge between other countries or creating tensions in the region.

(By Shao Zhengping and Yuan Yang, from the Academy of Military Sciences of the Chinese People's Liberation Army)