Illustration: Liu Xidan/GT

 Recently, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth played up the "tensions in the South China Sea" and the so-called "China threat" at the Shangri-La Dialogue. Hegseth also rallied defense ministers from Australia, Japan, and the Philippines to issue a joint statement in Singapore, expressing "continued serious concern about China's destabilizing actions." Their real aim is to expand military deployments and strengthen confrontational military alliances in the region.

In stark contrast, participants of the Dialogue from regional countries, such as Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Singaporean Defense Minister Chan Chun Sing, emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the region. They called for increased dialogue, mutual respect and the preservation of multilateralism - reflecting the genuine concerns and broad consensus of countries in the region. The US clichéd rhetoric fails to deceive regional nations; instead, it further exposes Washington's true intention of using maritime issues to contain China.

China has consistently upheld the position of resolving disputes through peaceful means. While resolutely safeguarding its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights in the South China Sea, the country remains committed to managing differences through dialogue and consultation. China has signed the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea with ASEAN countries and completed the delimitation of the maritime boundary in the Beibu Gulf with Vietnam. It is advancing joint maritime development with Indonesia. Efforts to accelerate the consultation process for the code of conduct in the South China Sea are also underway, providing institutional safeguards for lasting peace and stability in the region.

It is the joint efforts of China and ASEAN countries that have ensured the long-term stability of the South China Sea and proved that the countries in this region have full confidence, wisdom and ability to handle the South China Sea issue. In contrast, the US has been expanding its military deployment in the South China Sea, strengthening exclusive military alliances, promoting the deployment of intermediate-range missile weapons and advocating for the establishment of an "Asia-Pacific version of NATO." Such actions are completely contrary to the goal of maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea. In essence, the US is using the South China Sea issue to incite regional confrontation and promote maritime hegemony, serving its geopolitical strategy of containing China. 

The South China Sea is one of the safest and freest maritime routes in the world. There is no need to worry about freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea. Every year, more than 100,000 merchant ships pass through the South China Sea, and no ship or aircraft has ever encountered any hindrance. In fact, it is the US pursuit of "unrestricted freedom of navigation" that poses the greatest threat to global maritime safety. The US not only flexes its muscles by enhancing military deployment in the South China Sea, but also threatens to send the military to retake the Panama Canal and "annex" Greenland to dominate the Arctic shipping route. It also conducts "investigations" on the Strait of Malacca and the Suez Canal. Such a hegemonic act of applying international law in a selective and utilitarian way disrupts the international maritime order and rules, and seriously threatens the stability and development of the global oceans. 

The remarks made by the US secretary of defense have further exposed the US strategic anxiety. By engaging in bullying and hegemonic behavior, the US has seen its international reputation continue to decline. Therefore, it attempts to maintain its outdated military "small circle" and uphold its hegemonic obsession by provoking China and stirring up trouble in the South China Sea. This approach of "treating internal illness with external remedies" has made the US the biggest threat to peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region and the world. China and regional countries should jointly cherish the hard-won peaceful and stable situation, resolve differences through dialogue and consultation, and firmly say no to the US attempts to create chaos and confrontation, ensuring that Asia remains a peaceful and stable continent.

The author is an observer of international affairs. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn