Needless US-China tension

China's dispute with littoral states of South and East China Seas has become a serious bilateral issue of contention between the US and China. In an apparent reference to China's increasing assertiveness in the area, US Secretary of State John Kerry, in Beijing for two days of talks, warned on Wednesday that it would be "unacceptable" to try and create a new status quo in those seas. Notably, the US maintains that it is entirely neutral in the regional countries' sovereignty claims over Spratly Islands, the Paracel Islands, some other islets and related territorial waters, yet it has been making provocative statements such as referring to parts of the South China Sea as "the West Philippines Sea".
China's dispute with the regional countries, such as Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam and the Philippines goes a long time back. But it is obvious that the country's emerging superpower status has brought the dispute front at centre of its relations with the US. Obama administration 2012 rebalancing of foreign policy with "Pivot to East Asia" is aimed at containment of China. It is, therefore, unsurprising that Beijing accuses Washington of inciting trouble for it by siding with the other disputants. A few days ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping had dismissed the US' concerns saying it was "natural that China and the US may have different views and even frictions on certain issues" adding thoughtfully that makes communication and co-operation even more necessary. "If we are in confrontation it will surely spell disaster for both countries and for the world," he averred.
President Xi made a particularly astute remark on the subject, saying the Pacific powers need to "break the old pattern of inevitable confrontation." In the present-day interdependent world, dialogue and discussion must take precedent over old ways of dealing with disputes through intimidation and demonstration of power. Confrontation, as amply demonstrated by the Cold War between the US and its erstwhile rival Soviet Union, only promotes the wasteful enterprise of arms race, political tensions, and destructive wars. Unfortunately, some old hats now see the South and East China Seas as the new cold war frontier. Such thinking can create more problems than resolving the existing ones. In this day and age, disputes need to be resolved through peaceful means. As it is, mutually beneficial economic co-operation between the two countries benefits not only their respective economies but also the health of the global economy. Tensions over security issues can only harm these benefits. A wiser course therefore would be for them to sort out contentious issues through talks within the framework of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.