Commentary: Countries outside South China Sea should not flare up regional tension

Countries outside the South China Sea region should respect and support the efforts by countries in the region to uphold peace and stability there and refrain from taking actions that may give rise to regional tension.

As regional leaders gather here Sunday for the annual East Asia Summit, the South China Sea issue should not be hyped up as the United States has planned before the event.

Prior to the meeting, U.S. President Barack Obama labeled the South China Sea as "a major topic," and U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice dubbed it "a central issue of discussion."

However, just as Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has put it in his five-pronged proposal to uphold and promote peace and stability in the South China Sea region, countries from outside the region should play a positive and constructive role and refrain from taking actions that may cause tension in the region.

He also pointed out that all countries should exercise and uphold the freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea in accordance with international law.

Thanks to China's exercise of restraint and concerted efforts of most countries in the region, the South China Sea situation has been generally peaceful. Despite the territorial rows between China and other claimants, legitimate passage of ships and planes has never been a problem.

"There are over 100,000 ships from countries around the world sailing safely and freely through the South China Sea every year," said Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Hua Chunying, "They don't run into any problems at all."

Meanwhile, although some Chinese islands in the South China Sea have been illegally occupied by others, Beijing has always insisted on settling the disputes through peaceful means.

China itself needs unimpeded passage in the body of water more than any other country does, and maintaining peace and stability has been the overriding consideration of its South China Sea policy.

Furthermore, China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have agreed to deal with the complicated issue with a dual-track approach: The rows are to be resolved by directly concerned parties through consultation and negotiation, while China and ASEAN members work together to uphold regional peace and stability.

Now an increasingly serious menace to South China Sea stability is interference from the outside. For example, Washington's so-called "rebalance to the Asia-Pacific" strategy played an undeniable role in emboldening certain claimants to make hot-headed moves on the issue, which served only to further complicate and protract it.

Therefore, for the South China Sea disputes to be untangled as soon as possible and for the busy patch of water to keep permanently peaceful, outsiders should withdraw their meddling hands and give full play to the wisdom and pragmatism of those directly involved.

In parallel, ASEAN members need to keep their heads cool and eyes open. They should join hands with China in preventing the South China Sea issue from being used by others as a stir stick to muddy the waters and fish for self-interests. Endi