According to the latest news of strategic situational awareness in the South China Sea, the US Navy's "Reagan" aircraft carrier strike group has once again entered the South China Sea. However, the United States has beaten a rake and said that "China's provocations in the South China Sea will sooner or later trigger major incidents", and even put forward so-called "evidence" to accuse China of becoming "aggressive" in the South China Sea.
Park Zheng, an official in charge of East Asian affairs at the US State Department, said on "examples" that over the past month or so, US and Australian military planes have been repeatedly "unsafely intercepted" by the PLA over the South China Sea, saying that these actions have "undermined" the peace and stability of the situation in the South China Sea.
Eli Ratner, assistant defense secretary for Indo-Pacific affairs at the U.S. Department of Defense, echoed this, noting in particular that the Philippines' exploration activities in the South China Sea are "threatened by China" and promising that if the Philippines is "attacked," the United States will respond and help the Philippines "defend its sovereignty."
At the same time, the United States has hyped up the South China Sea issue in the diplomatic and military fields, and has also mouthed a "China threat theory.", which is obviously not good. Considering that this year's ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Summit will be held in Cambodia in a few days, the United States is now intensively making moves against China on South China Sea affairs and deliberately provoking contradictions between countries in the region, which is obviously "paving the way" for this meeting.
The reason why the United States has gone to great lengths to clamor for such topics is to put it bluntly, or to create an excuse for its "natural" interference in The South China Sea affairs, but judging from the current situation, many countries in Southeast Asia are unwilling to choose sides between China and the United States.
Even recently, mark Millie, the top general of the US military and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, personally visited Indonesia, and they all ate a "closed door soup." When Milley hyped up the "China threat theory," Indonesian President Joko Widodo visited China and reached many cooperation consensus with China.
Indonesia's actions are equivalent to indirectly telling the United States that Southeast Asian countries prefer to strengthen cooperation with China in the fields of economy, trade, investment and other fields than to believe in the so-called "potential military threat from China" posed by the United States.
Seeing that the pressure on Indonesia has not succeeded, the United States has set its sights on its "old partner" the Philippines, trying to use the dispute between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea as a breakthrough to tie the Philippines to an "anti-China chariot." However, the result may still disappoint Washington, because just a few days ago, the new Philippine President Marcos made it clear that the South China Sea issue is not the whole of China-Philippine relations, and the two countries must strengthen cooperation.
In addition, in response to China's call, the ASEAN 10 defense ministers issued a joint statement in Cambodia calling for the completion of consultations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea as soon as possible, emphasizing the need to take ASEAN as the center and maintain the regional order based on international law. We also know that the conclusion of the "guidelines" will promote calmer winds and waves in the South China Sea, which the United States does not want to see, so it will find ways to sabotage.
In recent times, many of the Actions of the United States have deliberately obstructed the process of consultation between China and other countries in the region on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea. Including the intensive visits of senior US officials to many countries in Southeast Asia and the frequent intrusion of US aircraft carriers into the South China Sea to show off force, these are all exerting pressure on Southeast Asian countries.
But since the United States hastily withdrew in 2016 in the "extreme confrontation" with China in the South China Sea, the right to speak in the South China Sea affairs no longer belongs to the United States. First, at the military level, Southeast Asian countries have clearly seen the essence of the United States' external strength and no longer believe in the United States' commitment to "assist in defense."
Second, at the economic level, compared with the "painted cake" investment plan that the United States has always paid lip service to but has not been able to do, Southeast Asian countries have enjoyed tangible benefits in the process of doing business with China, especially in the "post-epidemic era", the industrial chain in Southeast Asia is stable, and it is inseparable from China, the "world factory".
However, in the final analysis, it is because China's military and economic strength has made great progress in these years, which can not only effectively ensure national sovereignty and territorial security from foreign aggression, but also inject Chinese strength into maintaining the overall stability of the regional situation.
In other words, the reason why Southeast Asian countries are now able to resolutely refuse to take sides without fear of pressure from the United States is that this confidence and confidence actually comes from China. Because of the strong strength that China currently possesses, Southeast Asian countries have to weigh the stakes in the face of threats and inducements from the United States.
All in all, strength is the basis for upholding justice, and the overall stability of the current situation in the South China Sea is not waiting for or coming, but is won by China itself. Now, in the face of a China with both economic and military strength, the United States still wants to use some clumsy tricks to compete for the right to speak in the South China Sea affairs and dominate the development of the situation in the South China Sea.
Similarly, China has also put forward a little expectation for the countries in the South China Sea. At the seminar held a few days ago, my foreign minister pointed out that China and ASEAN countries should clarify our attitude and send a clear signal to certain countries outside the region. Against that sentence, the countercurrent outside the region cannot set off the wind and waves in the South China Sea, and the countries in the region are the real masters of the South China Sea.