South China Sea: Beijing’s 4 core principles held up as route to peace in disputed waters
China and Southeast Asia must keep resolution of maritime issues ‘within their own hands’, Xinhua Institute research report says
“China has long been committed to managing tensions and differences with disputing parties, and exercising great restraint in disputes”, Xinhua Institute, a think tank affiliated with state news agency Xinhua, said in a research report released on Sunday.
China would uphold its four core principles, “which have withstood the test of time” to transform the disputed waterway into a region of peace and cooperation, it added.
According to the report, these principles are: resolving disputes through consultation on an equal footing, managing differences through rules-based co-management, achieving positive outcomes through mutually beneficial cooperation, and opposing interference from external forces while encouraging them to play a constructive role.
China formally presented its blueprint for cooperation in the South China Sea in 2002 through an agreement with Asean. Beijing’s expansive claims over the busy, resource-rich waters are contested by several member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, including Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines, a US treaty ally.
Since 2023, face-offs between Chinese and Philippine vessels in disputed waters have become more frequent, particularly near Scarborough Shoal, Second Thomas Shoal and, most recently, the Sandy Cay coral reef.