Recently, the U.S. has been stirring up the already tense situation in the South China Sea. On October 11, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, stepping in for President Joe Biden at the U.S.-ASEAN Summit, criticized China's activities in the area as \"increasingly dangerous and unlawful.\" He also stated that the U.S. will \"continue to support freedom of navigation and freedom of overflight in the Indo-Pacific.\"
These accusations, along with sensationalist Western media coverage, suggest that the U.S. is using misleading rhetoric to spark confrontations among regional countries. This serves as a pretext to expand its military presence in the region under the guise of \"freedom of navigation operations\" and to intervene politically in the South China Sea issue. 🛥️✈️
The South China Sea is one of the world's most important and busiest international shipping routes and air corridors. Every year, nearly 500,000 merchant vessels traverse these waters, carrying 40% of global trade goods, while millions of civilian aircraft fly over the region.
The peace and stability of the South China Sea have been maintained through the joint efforts of China and other countries in the region for decades. China and other parties have consistently shown the ability and wisdom to address differences through dialogue and consultation, working together to maintain order.
However, the U.S. and some of its allies continue to accuse China of \"impeding freedom of navigation\" and \"endangering navigation safety\" in the South China Sea. They are deliberately misrepresenting China's maritime rights enforcement activities as responses to provocations concerning its territorial sovereignty.
For instance, the Philippines has repeatedly attempted to send vessels carrying construction materials to the illegally grounded BRP Sierra Madre (LT-57), used as a military outpost at Ren'ai Jiao since 1999. It has also used government vessels to intrude into waters near Huangyan Dao and challenged China's sovereignty over Xianbin Jiao. In response, China's Coast Guard has implemented navigation controls and other measures to protect its territorial sovereignty over these areas.
