Talks vital to avoid misjudgements at sea

A series of recent remarks and actions by the United States has again pushed the South China Sea issue into the international spotlight. These include US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken's comment that by reinforcing some islands and reefs of Nansha Islands, China is heightening tensions and instability in the region, and the US Navy P-8A Poseidon surveillance flights over China's islands.

Since such remarks and actions have raised the international community's concerns and will affect China's diplomacy, sovereignty and security, the government should clarify its activities in the South China Sea from a legal point of view to defuse tensions.

Given the lack of specific provisions on "military activities" in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, China and the US have diverse, even conflicting, views on such activities, including military surveys, reconnaissance and joint drills within a country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ). And because of their differing views, Beijing and Washington have formed different ideas about the peaceful use, including research, of oceans and seas. The root cause of the dispute is whether a country needs the prior consent of other countries to carry out military activities within its EEZ or is there no need for such consent on the grounds of "freedom of navigation rights".