The statement US Secretary of State Antony Blinken released on Sunday to mark the fifth anniversary of the ruling of "an international tribunal" in favor of the Philippines against China's maritime claims over some reefs and islands and their adjacent waters in the South China Sea exposes which country is the troublemaker in the otherwise tranquil and busy international waterway.
In recent years, as an important advocate of South China Sea cooperation, China is more confident about working with the Southeast Asian nations to jointly shape the South China Sea order in line with the long-term interests of the region.
In recent years, the situation in the South China Sea has stabilized due to the joint efforts of China and the Association of Southeast Asian members.
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday that the countries involved in the South China Sea issue have agreed on continuing to resolve disputes through dialogue and consultation, exercising self-restraint and avoiding additional unilateral action.
At the Boao Forum for Asia annual conference last month, experts and academics from countries around the South China Sea once again gathered in Hainan, China, to discuss how to build a new regional maritime order based on cooperation.
The South China Sea is one of the busiest waterways in the world, serving as a major artery in the global trade system and a common home for more than 2 billion people in the region.
A Chinese deep-sea drilling rig recently drilled to a depth of 231 meters on a seabed more than 2,000 meters beneath the sea level in the South China Sea, setting a new world record in deep-sea drilling depth.
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