Wary of non-regional power muddying waters

This is an editorial from China Daily.

Overlapping, contradictory territorial claims over some islands, islets and reefs in the South China Sea, including those of China and the Philippines, is the result of complicated historical and geographical factors. Managing such maritime disputes well is critical to maintaining peace and stability in the region as well as the strategic international waterways.

That is why China has engaged in marathon negotiations with other claimant countries. The aim, needless to say, is to negotiate a common code of conduct in the South China Sea.

The most desirable way of managing such disputes is through diplomatic, rather than military, means, while pursuing common development. It is in such a spirit that they have achieved unprecedented economic growth over the past few decades.

Accordingly, China has persistently called for shelving the differences and seeking common ground with countries in the region — an approach that has benefited all stakeholders, including the Philippines. For instance, during the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines, Manila and Beijing engaged in consultation to resolve their maritime disputes and prevent them from disrupting their trade relations. If they could do that then, there is no reason why they can't do the same today.

Both China and the Philippines know the best way to handle their maritime disputes is to put them on the back burner and pursue common development and maintain regional peace.

Unfortunately, there seems to be an urge to do the opposite in Manila these days.

There is no lack of actors in and outside the region who excel in provoking disputing parties toward confrontation. Obviously, some such elements in the Philippines want to involve non-regional actors to exploit the situation and isolate China from the international community.

But it is unrealistic to believe China would budge on matters of sovereignty and territorial integrity. More important, as China has repeatedly asserted, its sovereignty over the South China Sea islands and reefs, which the Philippines lays claim to, is based on solid historical facts, and international law and conventions.

The standoff over the Ren'ai Reef, for one, is a typical case of Manila taking advantage of Beijing's goodwill in an attempt to twist facts. Manila, full aware of the illicit nature of the continued presence of its navy ship at the reef, had promised to tug away the grounded vessel. But now it refuses to do so, obviously at the goading of non-regional powers.

But no matter how the issue is twisted, the fact remains the same: there is no legal basis for the Philippines' sovereignty claim over the reef. What is China's cannot become the Philippines'.

Beijing has every right to handle the matter in accordance with domestic and international laws, as the Foreign Ministry said on Monday.