Future of South China Sea disputes depends on Washington, says China’s legislature spokeswoman
NPC spokeswoman Fu Ying says Beijing is ready to deal with challenges from Trump administration
The future of the longstanding South China Sea disputes will largely depend on Washington, Beijing says, and it is ready to deal with any challenges US President Donald Trump may pose to the relations between the countries.
Speaking on the eve of the opening of the annual session of the National People’s Congress, Fu Ying, the spokeswoman for China’s top legislature, also sought to dismiss concerns that China aims to challenge the US-led international order and supplant Washington as the world’s top superpower.
Her remarks came after US military officers pledged to continue to send warships to patrol the disputed waters in a bid to reassure Washington’s Asian allies.
“The overall situation in the South China Sea tends to have improved at the moment and where it is heading will be decided by the US intent [because] American activities in the sea serve as a signpost to some extent,” Fu said.
She refuted US allegations that China’s assertiveness in the maritime dispute, including reported moves by Beijing to install missile defence systems on several disputed islands, has threatened the freedom of navigation and overflight in the region.
Wang Wenfeng, a US affairs expert at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, said Beijing and Washington obviously had different definitions of what constituted freedom of navigation.
“While the US insists they have the right to send warships to the disputed waters in the South China Sea, Beijing has always insisted that freedom of navigation should not cover military ships,” he said.
Li Jie, a Beijing-based military analyst, said Beijing was wary that the maritime disputes would be further complicated by the meddling of the United States.
“The South China Sea looks set to be the priority for the US once it manages to tackle problems in the Middle East,” he said.
Despite differences on the issue, Fu gave a positive assessment of US-China relations in the wake of a telephone conversation between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping last month, which she said helped set the tone of the relationship.
Fu also downplayed the impact of Trump’s unpredictability and his lack of consistency on China-related policy issues.
“US policy changes will have global impact and will surely affect its relations with China. We hope to see positive implications, but China will remain calm to deal with possible challenges,” she said.
Fu said despite growing personnel exchanges between the two nations and their expanding economic ties, the majority of Americans, including their leaders, still did not understand China well largely due to inadequate coverage.
Tao Wenzhao, a senior researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said despite China’s repeated reassurances that it would not challenge the US geopolitically, strategic mistrust between the world’s two largest economies remains a major stumbling block in their bilateral ties.
Additional reporting by Minnie Chan
