Cui Liru,
President of the China Institutes of Contemporary
International Relations, a Beijing think-tank closely
linked to China’s intelligence services, has also been
urging a tough stance. At the World Peace Forum in
Beijing in June he argued that China needed to do
more in terms of demonstrating its sovereignty. Others
at the forum voiced the view that China’s patience had
been tested to its limits and there was no room for
further tolerance. Such official views are reflected on
the ground, where formerly Hainan-based fishermen
now in Sansha City ask why China should tolerate
challenges to its sovereignty now that it is so strong