Trouble-making statement

The press statement the White House issued this weekend has deservedly evoked curses on the street and angry diplomatic representations from Beijing. Despite all the endeavor to leave the impression that the United States is a disinterested third party committed solely to peace in the South China Sea, that statement convinced us of the very opposite.

To enhance the image that White House has tried hard to build for itself, the statement repeated the same old high-sounding words that portray the US as angel of peace.

We know all the speculations and allegations about US intentions in Asia and the South China Sea. And we know the White House knows best what it is truly after. Still, here in China, we see an accommodating official line that welcomes a constructive US presence in the area to share not just the fruits of prosperity, but also the responsibilities for the region's, and, in some ways, the world's, well-being.