Interview: Covert U.S. interests behind South China Sea arbitration -- Venezuelan experts

Covert interests of the United States were behind an arbitration case against China over the South China Sea, Venezuelan analysts have said.

The arbitration award, which denies China's rights over maritime territories that have historically fallen under Chinese jurisdiction, abets U.S. efforts to hinder the Asian country's progress to a global economic power, the analysts said.

"In recent years, the United States has launched an assault against China, especially by stoking historical disputes it has had with other countries in the region," Basem Tajeldine, an expert in international relations, told Xinhua.

Tajeldine believes Washington aims to use similar territorial disputes in the South China Sea -- where Vietnam and Malaysia, among others, also have competing claims -- to curb China's growth and at the same time spread its own sphere of influence in the region.

The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) on Tuesday announced its decision against China and in favor of the Philippines in an arbitration case initiated unilaterally by the Philippines.

"The United States seeks to establish a foothold in the region, including a military one, in an effort to fence in China and diminish its influence in the region," said Tajeldine.

Fueling the disputes also serves Washington's desire to cap Beijing's geopolitical rise, he said.

Washington's ultimate goal could be an international blockade against China, he said.

China has from the beginning declared that the PCA does not have jurisdiction over the case and insisted that bilateral disputes should be resolved through negotiations between parties directly concerned.

Political observer Abraham Delgado notes that organizations such as the PCA "have historically served the interests of the dominant powers, their goals and political ends."

In fact, the court's decision is essentially "part of the foreign policy of the United States," and it's a move to stem China's growing presence worldwide, said Delgado. Endi