“U.S. Think Tank hyped that China may be preparing a second airstrip on an island in the disputed South China Sea during ASEAN Foreign Minister’s Meeting. The move is to distract the meeting from Asian cooperation and development,” Wu Shicun, head of China National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told Global Times .

He added that China’s construction activities on its own islands and reefs in the South China Sea is lawful, justified and within China's sovereignty and have nothing to do with any other matters. Moreover, China is constructing civil facilities in order to improve local public rescue.

Jin Canrong, a professor of international relations at Renmin University of China told Global Times that the U.S. hyped the disputes to beef up its presence in Asia because it has shifted its strategic focus to Asia-Pacific region. He also said hyping “South China Sea disputes” is no doubt a good card for the U.S. that seeks to increase its influence in Asia.

It will help the U.S. to advance its strategy in the Asia-Pacific region and to speed up military cooperation if the South China Sea dispute becomes a global security issues, said Wu. The U.S. has been hoping to contain China’s development by harping on the disputes, a move to maintain its dominance in the region. 

This article was edited and translated from 《美國敲響“中國威脅”鼓點 想借南海問題牽制中國發展》,source:Global Times