In the case of the South China Sea dispute, it manages to seize the conflict as a conduit to engage the region and serves as a counterweight, especially one of conflicting parties in a trustful alliance. In his numerous interviews in the Chinese media last week, State Councilor Yang Jiechi stressed that the US was not a direct party to the disputes and hoped that the US "would not get involved as it promised". He suggested that both countries "stay in close touch" despite the differences.