Timely Dialogue

Chinese and U.S. think tanks agree the South China Sea situation needs to be cooled down By Ding Ying

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Timely Dialogue

Chinese and U.S. think tanks agree the South China Sea situation needs to be cooled down By Ding Ying

Chinese and U.S. scholars attend a media briefng in Washington， D.C.， on July 6 following their South China Sea dialogue

Chinese and U.S. scholars held a candid and thorough dialogue on the South China Sea issue on July 5 in Washington，D.C.， urging all parties involved to fnd common ground and alleviate the hype.

The dialogue was co-hosted by the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China （RDCY） and the Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Former top Chinese diplomat Dai Bingguo delivered a speech stating that China will not accept the award of the Manila-initiated arbitration over the South China Sea， but will stick to peaceful resolution of disputes through bilateral talks.

The so-called arbitration award， scheduled to be announced on July 12， “amounts to nothing more than a piece of paper，”Dai， former State Councilor and honorary President of the Institute of International and Strategic Studies at Peking University， said in his speech.

He reiterated that the Nansha islands and reefs are part of China's territory. China remains committed to the peaceful resolution of disputes in the South China Sea through negotiations and consultations with countries directly concerned， and the hype around the situation must cool down.

For many years， the South China Sea had remained trouble free， and freedom of navigation was guaranteed. However， since the 1970s， the Philippines， Viet Nam and other countries have illegally occupied 42 islands and reefs of China's Nansha Islands by force，which has given rise to the territorial disputes over these islands and reefs. Over several decades， the Philippines and Viet Nam carried out large-scale construction， deployed armaments and continued provocative behavior at sea. These illegal occupations and provocations are violations of international law and the UN Charter and should be condemned，according to Dai.

Viewpoints

Douglas H. Paal （Vice President for Studies， Carnegie Endowment for International Peace）: I think both sides could do a lot more to cool things down， and it's my view that the July 12 deadline for the arbitration award should be viewed as a turning point to turn this from confrontation into cooperation， from adversity into advantage， by leading directly into a period of diplomatic efforts to calm the multiple sides in this dispute. I think there are ways of doing that.

David S. Sedney （Senior Associate， Center for Strategic and International Studies）: I think the two sides' positions are already very settled. So they are not going to change. The Chinese side's position is that the decision of the tribunal should be disregarded. The U.S. position is that it should be respected. I don't think there's any likelihood that either side would cede that position but it's important that both sides take steps to ensure that the disagreement is not elevated to confict. So my recommendation is to set up a series of discussions at the high-levels and mid-levels to discuss the whole range of issues regarding the South China Sea and those discussions take place before either side， anyone， takes any actions because actions taken at the time of high emotions are likely to lead to escalation.

Brendan Mulvaney （Instructor， U.S. Naval Academy）: The South China Sea continues to be a sticking point， but it does not overshadow all the other things that we are doing， the cooperation， so hopefully we can use some of those ways to

maybe ameliorate the situation in the South China Sea， and again， in a couple of years， we can do an agreement about how we're going to handle incidents and see how we're going to talk to each other，and there are multiple reports of both ship captains from the American side and the Chinese side exercising these things， having friendly relations， passing each other and saying “hello” over the radio and having no problems. So I think that as long as we do a good job in continuing to explain that to the public， we can decrease some of those perceived tensions.

Alan Romberg （Distinguished Fellow，Stimson Center）: I think everybody agrees that there shouldn't be conflict. But tension is real. And there is a perception， I think， among many in China， that the United States does take sides in， particularly， the sovereignty disputes，which it doesn't. So I think

it takes some objective thought about the way people talk about the issue in terms of the United States and China， and we'll have to see if that takes place.

Bill Jones （Washington Bureau Chief，Executive Intelligence Review）: It seems that there is a general attitude now to avoid confrontation and try to find some kind of solution. The issue is how to work out a path in that direction. The United States still insists that the arbitration decision， which has been deemed as very dubious by legal scholars and by many countries of the world， is internationally valid and，therefore， that China has to adhere to whatever comes out of it. China of course is not willing to accept it. I think they're fully justified not accepting it because of the dubiousness of the measure to begin with.

Former State Councilor Dai Bingguo addresses the forum on July 5 in Washington， D.C.

“The world can see that on the South China Sea issue， China is by no means a wrong-doer or trouble maker， but rather a victim，” he stressed.

Recalling China's historical suffering from hegemonic powers， he pointed out，“That is why China will seize its own future on issues of territorial sovereignty and will never accept any solution imposed by a third party.”

China has not lost confidence and will stick to its policy of seeking a peaceful settlement through bilateral negotiation and consultation， Dai explained， as such an approach best reflects adherence to international law and the basic norms of international relations. This has been a successful practice of China in honoring the international rule of law. Moreover， settling disputes through negotiation and consultation is the only viable way to manage and resolve the South China Sea issue， he said.

Dai believed that， in spite of China and the United States having very different histories， cultures， social systems， values， and different levels of development， the two major countries have enough sight and wisdom to increase strategic communication in a productive way and handle any differences in a constructive manner. Furthermore， both countries should endeavor to transcend differences by focusing on and expanding cooperation. The South China Sea could well have been an example of this approach.

“What we need is not a microscope to zoom in on our differences， but a telescope to look ahead and focus on cooperation. Both China and America are great nations with insight and vision，” said Dai， suggesting the two sides take a practical approach to keep the situation under control.

“This meeting is very timely，” echoed John Negroponte， former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State. He agreed that a discussion between the two sides will help to reduce tension and diminish misunderstanding. Currently， he urged “all sides to restrain.”

Wang Wen， RDCY Executive Dean， pointed out that the South China Sea situation had developed far beyond the imaginations of all sides. “This should not be a zero-sum game，” he emphasized.

Wang said the U.S. side should be impartial， instead of choosing a side， to prevent unnecessarily antagonizing a fellow major nation. China and the United States need to boost relations in other fields to negate the concerns over the South China Sea， he suggested.

Roger Baker， Vice President of Washington-based Geopolitical Analysis，expressed similar viewpoints. He said besides high-level exchanges， the two major countries can also promote communication at lower levels. For example， discussions between both navies would be benefcial to keeping the situation under control. ■

（Reporting from Washington， D.C.）

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Copyedited by Dominic James Madar

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