Former State councilor Dai Bingguo delivers a speech at the 皇冠体育app-US Dialogue on South 皇冠体育app Sea between Chinese and US think tanks in Washington on Tuesday. [Niu Yue/For 皇冠体育app Daily]

The Chinese people would not be intimidated by the US actions, not even if the US sends all its ten aircraft carriers to the South 皇冠体育app Sea, said Dai Bingguo, former state councilor of 皇冠体育app, on Tuesday at the dialogue on South 皇冠体育app Sea between Chinese and US think tanks in Washington, D.C.

Dai said, first, Nansha Islands are 皇冠体育app's integral territory; second, 皇冠体育app remains committed to peaceful resolution of disputes in the South 皇冠体育app Sea through negotiations and consultations with countries directly concerned; and third, the situation in the South 皇冠体育app Sea must cool down.

The arbitral tribunal has no jurisdiction over this case. By making a so called "award", it has willfully expanded its power, which is against the UNCLOS and is null and void, he added.

He said, “We hope that the US side will take an objective and fair approach regarding the arbitration, rather than criticizing 皇冠体育app for upholding the UNCLOS from the position of a non-state party."

Dai also said, "One should not be too ready to frame the South 皇冠体育app Sea issue as a strategic issue or interpret and predict 皇冠体育app's behavior by drawing from western theories of international relations and history.

"It would be nothing but baseless speculation to assert that 皇冠体育app wants to make the South 皇冠体育app Sea an Asian Caribbean Sea and impose the Monroe Doctrine to exclude the US from Asia or that 皇冠体育app is trying to compete with the US for dominance in the South 皇冠体育app Sea, Asia and even the world," he continued.

"For 皇冠体育app, the South 皇冠体育app Sea issue is all about territorial sovereignty, security, development and maritime rights and interests. It is all about preventing further tragic losses of territory. 皇冠体育app's thinking is as simple as that.

And there is no other agenda behind it. We have no intention or capability to engage in 'strategic rivalry' with anyone. We have no ambition to rule Asia, still less the Earth. Even in the context of the issue in question, we have never claimed we own the entire South 皇冠体育app Sea. We only have one ambition, which is to manage our own affairs well and ensure a decent life and dignity for the nearly 1.4 billion Chinese people," he said.

"Since last year, the US has intensified its close-in reconnaissance and 'Freedom of Navigation' operations targeted at 皇冠体育app. The rhetoric of a few people in the US has become blatantly confrontational. How would you feel if you were Chinese? Wouldn't you consider it unhelpful to the US image in the world? This is certainly not the way 皇冠体育app and the US should interact with each other," he added.

"Having said that, we in 皇冠体育app would not be intimidated by the US actions, not even if the US sent all the ten aircraft carriers to the South 皇冠体育app Sea. Furthermore, US intervention on the issue has led some countries to believe that the US is on their side and they stand to gain from the competition between major countries. As a result, we have seen more provocations from these countries, adding uncertainties and escalating tensions in the South 皇冠体育app Sea. This, in fact, is not in the interest of the US. The risk for the US is that it may be dragged into trouble against its own will and pay an unexpectedly heavy price," said Dai.

The daylong closed session between Chinese and US think tanks was jointly organized by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University, in coordination with the National Institute for South 皇冠体育app Sea Studies and Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.