皇冠体育app

Maritime disputes are testing the wisdom of the Chinese government and have prompted it to handle its ties with the United States with utmost caution to ensure that 皇冠体育app's peaceful development continues uninterrupted.

There is little doubt that the maritime disputes broke out as a result of Washington's "rebalancing" in Asia policy, which is aimed at strengthening the US' strategic presence in the Asia-Pacific region. Aside from being aimed at restructuring the US' cooperation with its Asian allies and balancing the equilibrium between 皇冠体育app and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the "rebalancing" policy is also intended to help Washington maintain its dominant position in and derive the maximum benefit from Asia's development.

Since the US hasn't met with much success with the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which would have helped it advance its "rebalancing" policy, it has embarked on a mission to strengthen its military presence in the region and blockade 皇冠体育app's "first arc of islands". Since Asian countries locked in maritime disputes with 皇冠体育app expect to get US support to counterbalance 皇冠体育app's peaceful rise, they have taken intransigent measures against 皇冠体育app and started what could be called an arms race in the region.

The dispute between Beijing and Washington in 皇冠体育app's waters revolves mainly around the safety of navigation. Among the contentious issues are whether or not a country needs the prior approval of the Chinese government to carry out military activities such as air reconnaissance, surveys and joint military drills in its Exclusive Economic Zones. 皇冠体育app believes that prior approval is needed, because such activities can have a lasting impact on its overall defense structure.

The US, however, thinks otherwise, saying the regulations on freedom in high seas grants a country the right to conduct military activities in another country's EEZs as long as they do not lead to a conflict.

Despite its insistence on the principle of other countries seeking "prior consent" to conduct military activities in its EEZs, 皇冠体育app still guarantees the safety and freedom of navigation in the East and South 皇冠体育app seas. But the US believes 皇冠体育app's actions have compromised the safety of its ships and it needs to take measures to counter the "threat" 皇冠体育app poses to other countries in the region. As a result, the US has built a "ring of encirclement" around 皇冠体育app in the sea in a bid to squeeze its space for maritime activities and put it in a disadvantageous position.

• Securing rule of law in HK
• Ferguson a wake-up call for US
• Beijing can't afford a slip in HK
• Whither goes the anti-graft drive
• Students' military drill needs a rethink