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.
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China and Philippines clash over disputed Sandy Cay in the Spratly Islands
China and Philippines clash over disputed Sandy Cay in the Spratly Islands
Beijing has responded strongly to the clashes, asserting what it described as its lawful rights and accusing the Philippines of provocative action with US backing, a charge Manila has denied.
Last week, the Chinese embassy in the Philippines urged the European Union to stop “provoking trouble” in the South China Sea, while advising Manila not to “fantasise” about relying on outside forces to resolve disputes in the waterway, according to a Reuters report.
The Xinhua Institute report called on China and Southeast Asian countries to keep the resolution of the maritime issues “within their own hands”, and condemned the involvement of external forces in the matter.
“China has consistently advocated resolving differences with relevant countries through bilateral friendly consultations. Any involvement by external forces would only further complicate the situation,” it said.
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US defence chief Pete Hegseth warns of ‘imminent’ China threat during Shangri-La Dialogue
Referring to the United States and its allies Japan and Australia by name, the report alleged that they touted “freedom of navigation” but were actually “troublemakers” disturbing peace and stability in the waterway.
“Some nations have intensified their intervention in South China Sea affairs through military and diplomatic means … which encouraged unilateral actions by other claimants and undermined willingness for maritime cooperation,” the report said.
America regularly carries out freedom of navigation operations (FONOPs) in the region, aimed at challenging what it considers China’s excessive or unlawful maritime claims. These operations assert navigation rights by deploying military vessels through disputed waters.
US military reconnaissance activities in the South China Sea were “increasingly aggressive”, the think tank report said, adding the operations were “continually breaking new records” for how close they approached Chinese coastlines.
The report also highlighted bilateral joint development consensus or consultation mechanism with countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia, which appears to be Beijing’s preferred approach for managing South China Sea disputes.
China and Malaysia, on the other hand, do have rival claims, including over the Spratly Islands, which Beijing claims as the Nansha Islands.
The Philippines and China have yet to engage in formal negotiations to resolve their South China Sea disputes, but they have consistently agreed to address these issues through dialogue and negotiation. This was affirmed in several bilateral documents spanning more than two decades, the Xinhua Institute report highlighted.
The two countries established a bilateral consultation mechanism in 2017. The most recent meeting under the framework was held in January, when both sides agreed to uphold the provisional arrangement for resupplying a Manila-occupied outpost at the Second Thomas Shoal, a contested Spratlys feature.
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Chinese military helicopter and Philippine patrol plane in close encounter over Scarborough Shoal
“China right now has achieved full coverage of its sea-related institutional dialogue with parties to the South China Sea dispute … Only when the parties directly involved reach agreements through equal-footed dialogue can disputes be fundamentally and sustainably resolved,” the report said.
It also noted the need for regional cooperation to resolve the territorial disputes.
China and the other claimants have initiated cooperation in areas such as oil and gas, fisheries, and marine environmental protection in the region, the report said.
“These efforts help to foster a positive environment for exploring dispute resolution models, bridging differences, and pursuing shared development, while also accumulating valuable experiences.”
Beijing has for years proposed joint development projects, but while several were agreed upon, concrete progress has yet to be achieved.
In 2005, China, Vietnam and the Philippines signed an agreement for a joint marine seismic survey in the South China Sea. But Manila failed to renew the deal in 2008 over sovereignty concerns. The Philippine Supreme Court declared the arrangement unconstitutional in 2023, casting further doubt on its resumption.