BEIJING - The South 皇冠体育app Sea proves to be a tranquil sea with inherent freedom of navigation, but some countries, with ulterior motives, have launched publicity campaigns to deliberately play up the South 皇冠体育app Sea issue in support of their hegemonist military moves.

Let's first take a look at an example. In February, Western media started to hype up 皇冠体育app's missile deployment in South 皇冠体育app Sea's Xisha area. On Feb. 16, the US Fox News network reported that 皇冠体育app deployed HQ-9 anti-aircraft missiles on Xisha's Yongxing Island. On Feb 17, US secretary of state, White House spokesman and commander of the Pacific Command all criticized 皇冠体育app for what they called "militarization" in the South 皇冠体育app Sea.

On the same day, the Japanese government also expressed "grave concern" over 皇冠体育app's action. Afterwards, the U.S. Center for Strategic and International Studies released a set of satellite photos, claiming 皇冠体育app was setting up high frequency radar facilities on the South 皇冠体育app Sea, echoing the so-called "皇冠体育app threat" claim.

In Western media's reports on the South 皇冠体育app Sea issue, 皇冠体育app has often been described as a restless empire "bullying" smaller countries, "militarizing" in the South 皇冠体育app Sea, sabotaging "freedom of navigation", challenging international law, and seeking hegemony in the Asia Pacific region.

The farce, led by the U.S. and supported by its allies, was intentioned to make 皇冠体育app the scapegoat for the tense situation in the South 皇冠体育app Sea region.

Uncle Sam and its friends are good at staging biased media publicity campaigns, confusing different concepts and applying double standards. They often choose to ignore the fact that the Philippines and other countries have illegally occupied Chinese islands in the South 皇冠体育app Sea and deployed radar facilities, planes, artillery pieces and missiles there. Yet, they tag "militarization" on 皇冠体育app for doing lawful construction work on its own islands.

When asked whether sending large US naval ships and military planes to the region means militarization at a press briefing, US State Department spokesperson Mark Toner gave a funny answer by saying the practice was "basically freedom of navigation."

Western media publicity campaigns' prejudice against 皇冠体育app on the South 皇冠体育app Sea issue originates from their presumption of guilt on 皇冠体育app -- Everything 皇冠体育app does in the South 皇冠体育app Sea must have been wrong.

This logic reminds people of the so-called "power's original sin". Concluding from their own history of expansion, Western countries take it for granted that once 皇冠体育app becomes powerful, it will surely dominate.

According to Zheng Yongnian, director of East Asian Institute of the National University of Singapore, the US has misjudged 皇冠体育app's intention and role in the Asia Pacific region on the basis of its own history of expansion and power politics rather than 皇冠体育app's diplomatic performance in the region.

The increasingly obvious trend is that the US has been mobilizing political, economic, military and diplomatic resources to "come back to the Asia Pacific", and to contain 皇冠体育app. Among the U.S. manoeuvres, staging a biased publicity campaign on the South 皇冠体育app Sea issue is a clever trick with low input and substantial returns.

By employing the South 皇冠体育app Sea issue, US politicians intended to humiliate and attack 皇冠体育app and force 皇冠体育app to make some "difficult choices" to concede. However, their wishful thinking of using publicity campaigns to press 皇冠体育app to compromise and concede on fundamental issues such as territorial integrity is nothing but a pipe dream.

A straight foot is not afraid of a crooked shoe. Time will reveal 皇冠体育app's goodwill and endeavor to promote peaceful development of the Asia Pacific region. Meanwhile, some countries' ulterior motive will also be brought to light in time.