Growing U.S. Role In The South China Sea Dispute

The South China Sea issue is mainly about islands and reefs sovereignty and maritime delimitation disputes between China and the neighboring countries of the South China Sea.The United States, the most powerful regional intervention factor, which has a profound impact on the South China Sea issue, is an unavoidable factor to solve the South China Sea issue.U.S. South China Sea Strategy has experienced three important historical stages of evolution:before the Cold War, from the ’casual’to’positive control’; during the Cold War, from the’active containment’ to’neutrality’; after the Cold War, from the ’active neutrality’to’actively involved’. The United States has consistently opportunistic, pragmatic stance, and take the South China Sea strategy under the strategic framework of the national interests and its global strategy, the Asia-Pacific strategy, strategy toward China and other comprehensive consideration.’Active neutrality’is the longstanding United States policy of the South China Sea, since the late90’s. However, in the first decade of the21st century, the U.S. government is gradually deviated from the principles of’active neutrality’policy, and its South China Sea Strategy is undergoing a new round of adjustment.’Actively involved’has become the main theme of this round of adjustment.There are several deep-seated reasons of why the United States being actively involved with the South China Sea issue. First, the geopolitical theory, such as Mahan’s ’Sea Power’, and Spykman’s’marginal effect zone’, as well as the ’interventionist’ policy thought, have generated tremendous impetus on the intervention. In addition to the South China Sea itself, which has the major geo-strategic value, the United States intervene in the South China Sea issue is mainly based on the transfer of the post-Cold War U.S. global strategy, the Asia-Pacific security strategy of adjustment, and geo-strategic to China’s containment and many other considerations. Finally, the United States has a wide range of interests and concerns in the South China Sea region, including energy, investment, trade and allied interests. Therefore, the U.S. has taken a variety of ways and means to actively intervene in the South China Sea issue, including:strengthening security ties and military presence; to build a multilateral mechanism to promote the internationalization of the issue; to participate in energy development, plundering the South China Sea resources; to strengthen ASEAN relations and play allies role and so on. U.S. involvement makes the South China Sea issue becomes more complex, and is not conducive to the final settlement of the South China Sea issue, increasing the difficulty of defending the South China Sea sovereignty for China. It has not only cast a shadow over the development of Sino-US relations, but also broken the regional balance, therefore, not conducive to peace and stability in the South China Sea region and the world.In the coming period, the United States will continue to increase the involvement of the South China Sea region, continue to promote multilateral and internationalization of the South China Sea, South China Sea issue long-term containment of China’s strategic intentions will not change. Meanwhile, the South China Sea policy is still in the dynamic adjustment process. Sino-US direct military confrontation in the South China Sea region is unlikely, but small-scale military conflicts or will be inevitable. Therefore, the Chinese government should do a good job on preparedness:to continue to affirm consistent position, firmly safeguard the South China Sea sovereignty; to strengthen dialogue with the United States, enhance trust to avoid turning the South China Sea issue into " Sino-US’problem; to be flexible on specific issues and convert U.S. power into positive factor, calmly and objectively look at the United States’influence on the South China Sea issue.